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    Home » Salads » Dragon Tongue Bean Salad Recipe

    Dragon Tongue Bean Salad Recipe

    May 11, 2016 · by Valentina · 16 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Colorful, beautiful, and so tasty -- this Dragon Tongue Bean Salad is drizzled with a spicy honey-mustard dressing and is the perfect summer side dish for barbecues or a vegan main course. Dragon beans are unique and fun to work with.Dragon Tongue Bean Salad in a wooden bowl with bright red peppers.

    What are Dragon Tongue Beans? 

    • More commonly called Dragon Beans, these beans are uniquely colored with distinctive purple streaks and specks with a cream-colored background.
    • Their pods are edible and they don't have strings like many other beans.
    • They're considered a “Romano” variety of bean.
    • The beans can be eaten raw or cooked.
    • The smaller they are, the younger they were when they were harvested, and that's when they're best eaten raw.
    • Dragon Beans are typically in season May through September.

    What do Dragon Tongue Beans Taste Like?

    • With a perfect crunch, they have a nut-like flavor and are subtly sweet.

    When my friends at Melissa's Produce sent me a sample of the ever-so-stunning Dragon Beans, I wondered if I should use them in the kitchen, or simply set them out in a pretty bowl for display.

    Never having explored Dragon Bean recipes before, I decided on the cooking option, but loved looking at how pretty they were during the process. raw Dragon Beans in a steamer pot

    My Dragon Beans were fairly large -- about 6-inches each.

    So in this Dragon Tongue Bean salad, as the main ingredient, I wanted to soften them slightly.

    How to Cook Dragon Tongue Beans

    • Dragon Tongue beans are lovely steamed or quickly simmered. It intensifies their delicious nutty flavor. They will fade in color, but you will still see some purple here and there.
    • Dragon Tongue beans are also perfect for pickling along with fresh herbs, spices, and other vegetables.
    • You can also stir fry them with other vegetables.

    I wasn't expecting this -- it reminded me of my Purple Sweet Potato Muffins that turned green in the oven.  So this was another one of my unplanned foodie science experiments in my kitchen.  😉 Dragon Tongue Bean Salad in a wooden bowl

    When to Serve it

    • Dragon Tongue Bean salad has a wonderful blend of textures and colors and is the perfect scrumptious summer side dish for barbecues or picnic item. It will be the prettiest dish at the party and totally wow the guests!
    • I love it served with all sorts of rich meat entrées too.

    You can likely find them in the specialty produce sections of markets like Sprouts, Whole Foods, Bristol Farms and Gelson's. For more information from Melissa's Produce about these cool beans, you can go here.

    And yes,  if you can't get your hands on these, of course you can replace them with green, yellow, or any others you'd like. The end result will still be divine.

    If you experiment with the beans, raw or cooked, and come up with your own Dragon Bean recipes, please share them in the comments.

    Dragon Tongue bean Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing in a wooden bowl with microgreens

    Dragon Tongue Bean Salad Recipe with Spicy Honey-Mustard

    Valentina K. Wein
    This pretty salad is the perfect summer side dish for barbecues or a vegan main course. Dragon beans are unique and fun to work with.
    Please note that when steamed, though you'll still see bits of color, the purple will fade significantly. (Please see above comments about this.)
    5 from 2 votes
    Print
    Prep Time 17 mins
    Cook Time 3 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 150 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    For the dressing

    • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 2 teaspoons honey
    • 1½ teaspoons chili paste
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • a few turns of freshly ground black pepper
    • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

    For the salad

    • 1 pound Dragon Tongue beans, washed and dried, root ends trimmed
    • 2 cups loosely packed mixed micro greens, washed and dried
    • a few red Thai chile peppers for garnish and added heat if desired

    Instructions
     

    For the dressing

    • Add the vinegar, mustard, honey, chili paste, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Gradually add the oil while still whisking. Once it's smooth, set aside.

    For the salad

    • Prepare a large mixing bowl with ice water and set it aside.
    • Place a steamer rack into a pot with the water level just below it. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil and then add the beans to the rack, sprinkle lightly with salt and cover. Steam just until they're about 50% more tender, about 3 minutes.
    • Immediately drain and add the beans to the bowl of ice water -- this will help preserve any bits of purple still remaining. Let them sit in the ice water until they're cold, then drain, dry them, and add them to a large mixing bowl.
    • Toss the beans with the micro greens and the dressing.
    • Wash, dry, and slice the red chile peppers in half for garnish (and added heat) if desired.
    • Serve!

    Notes

    Calorie count is only an estimate.
    Keywords pretty salads, unique vegan sides
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

    Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

    More Salad Recipes

    • Citrus Carpaccio with Jalapeño
    • Peach Caprese Salad
    • Peach Avocado Salad with Zucchini
    • Mango Salad with Basil

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jessica {Swanky Recipes}

      May 11, 2016 at 10:57 pm

      Now, this is totally a salad I'd eat. Love the added sherry vinegar in the dressing. Bet it gives it a nice little punch, yum!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 12, 2016 at 7:43 am

        Thanks, Jessica. Yes, the vinegar is lovely. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Sam | Ahead of Thyme

      May 11, 2016 at 10:57 pm

      I have never heard of dragon tongue beans but they look and sound so interesting! I will have to see if I can find some!! Thanks for sharing

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 12, 2016 at 7:44 am

        Hope you can find them, Sam. They're delicious and fun. Thank you!

        Reply
    3. Diana

      May 12, 2016 at 12:27 am

      I don't think that I have ever heard of these beans before, but they look and sound very interesting!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 12, 2016 at 7:44 am

        Interesting, indeed! 😀

        Reply
    4. ginger and scotch

      May 12, 2016 at 1:12 am

      First time I have heard of dragon tongue beans and I hope to be able to source them soon - I love all kinds of fresh beans!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 12, 2016 at 7:44 am

        Thanks so much. Hope you can find them to try and add to your love of beans. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Lisa @garlicandzest.com

      May 12, 2016 at 4:21 am

      I love the spice in the dressing - I am always adding some heat to my salads, stews, sammies, etc.

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 12, 2016 at 7:45 am

        Thanks, Lisa! Yes, I love the heat of the chiles with the sweet of the honey. 🙂

        Reply
    6. sippitysup

      May 12, 2016 at 12:30 pm

      May I wear my geek hat? Purple veggies get their color from anthocyanins (a really great antioxident). However, many purple foods fade when cooked – though the flavor remains the same. The cooking causes a chemical reaction in the anthocyanins which reveals the chlorophyll beneath the purple anthocyanins that was always there. GREG

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 12, 2016 at 1:18 pm

        Thank you, Greg! You wear the hat well. 😉 xo

        Reply
        • David

          May 14, 2016 at 7:19 am

          I was going to leave my own comment, but felt I had to piggyback on Greg's! I loved his geeky response. Where would the world be without amazing geeks like Greg? I finally found a purple vegetable that didn't fade when cooked… Purple cauliflower! I've never heard of these beans, Valentina, but I will look for them at whole foods. Wonderful spring time recipe!

          Reply
          • valentina

            May 15, 2016 at 1:15 pm

            Yes, thank goodness for Greg! 🙂 Somebody had to know these cool, scientific culinary facts! Thank you, David! XO

            Reply
    7. Kiersten

      August 29, 2017 at 8:04 pm

      We've been getting these in our CSA box, so I've been looking for new recipes - and we loved this one! I didn't have sherry vinegar, so I substituted rice vinegar and it still turned out great.
      I also didn't have the peppers to add the heat, but I'll definitely add those next time!

      Reply
      • valentina

        August 30, 2017 at 8:30 pm

        That's awesome Kristen! Thanks so much for sharing and enjoy! 😀

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

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