Why it works: Peas and mint are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,137 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓
Green Pea Soup
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare and cook
Soak the dried green peas overnight.
In a pot, cover the soaked peas with water and bring to a boil.
Simmer until the peas are soft, about 1 hour.
Finish the soup
Add the mint and sugar, then blend until smooth.
Strain the soup through a jelly bag for a finer texture.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Peas + minttop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,137 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Peas + sugartop 31% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,928 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + minttop 32% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,592 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Dried green peas
- Provide the main body, and their starch thickens the soup as it cooks and blends.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that softens the vegetal flavour of the peas.
- Mint
- Adds a fresh, aromatic flavour.
The step that matters
Simmer until the peas are fully soft. Dried peas must cook long enough for their starch cells to soften fully. Undercooked peas stay grainy, so the blended soup will not become smooth.
Swap the mint
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peas, sugar):
- Mintthe original
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Gingerfits less well
- Peppermintfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against peas, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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