Doña Lucy’s Mexican Beans
By Evan and Elena Huegel who serves with the Intercultural Research and Studies Institute (INESIN) in Mexico.
Do you like Mexican beans?!! The best beans I have ever tasted are those prepared by Doña Lucy, who cooked for many years at the Institute for Intercultural Studies and Research here in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, México. I think her beans are delicious because she cooks them slowly on a wood stove and in a clay pot, but she says that love is her secret ingredient. My nephew, Evan, has been working with Doña Lucy to test all of the recipes in the new book that the Institute is producing: El sazón de la dignidad. In the midst of so many challenges here in Chiapas, the constant reminder while working on this book of the importance of dignity in all our relationships has brought me joy and encouragement. The book will be available in Spanish this month, January 2025. We are working on making it available in English, too, under the title: Dignity Cookbook: A Journal to Nurture Our Relationships Over the Course of a Year. Meanwhile, I hope you take the time to prepare and savor this recipe and that Doña Lucy’s story might encourage you in this new year!
Recipe: Beans in a Clay pot with Tortillas (Chiapas, Mexico)
Ingredients
- 600gr of beans
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ of an onion (diced)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Cumin, pepper, salt to taste
- Water
- 1 kg of masa (500 g of Corn Flour + 420 ml of water)
To the Kitchen:
- Rinse the beans and set them to soak with baking soda for 8 hours.
- Heat water to a simmer (enough to cover the beans).
- Place beans in pot with onions and garlic.
- Simmer for 2-3 hours until beans are tender
- Add salt, pepper, and cumin (suggest ⅛ tsp) to taste
- Make tortillas pressing the masa in a tortilla press using two pieces of parchment paper or thin plastic.
- Heat a comal or frying pan on high heat and cook the tortillas for about 1 minute on either side
The Story behind this Recipe: An interview with Doña Lucy (Chiapas, Mexico)
“The staples of Mexico are the three sisters: corn, beans, and squash. These have been the foundational foods for indigenous people throughout the Americas. Simple ingredients and yet a blessing to so many. Kind of like me, I guess! My life has not been an easy one, but it has been good. I am from a small Tseltal Mayan community. My brother and I became orphans after my mother died of an illness and my father in a car accident that left me in a coma. The sisters of a nearby convent took care of me after I woke up. It was at this convent that my cooking journey began. Sometime later, I began to work there doing the cleaning to help support my family. One day, when the cook did not show up, Sister Nelly asked me if I could jump in and take over preparations while she went shopping. I had never cooked for 300 people before, and I was a terrified. In the end, everyone complimented me on how delicious the food turned out. I have cooked for different groups for over 30 years now. Everyday my prayer has been that the Holy Spirit would bless my hands and my work so that even if the food is just simple beans and tortillas, they would fill the stomachs and hearts of all who eat with love I put into what I prepare.”
Elena Huegel serves with the Intercultural Research and Studies Institute (INESIN) in Mexico. Her appointment is made possible by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund, Our Church’s Wider Mission, and your special gifts.