Name: Cumin-Scented Beef Kebabs
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne; 2 pounds sirloin flap steak or flatiron steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces; Equipment: 12 (12-inch) skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes if wooden; Accompaniment:

Why it works: Oregano and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Cumin-Scented Beef Kebabs

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 pounds sirloin flap steak or flatiron steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Equipment: 12 (12-inch) skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes if wooden
Accompaniment:

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

392Calories

27 gProtein

29 gFat

4 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Cayenne	1 tsp (1.8g)	6
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Coriander	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By epicurious. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

Oregano + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together983 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cumin + coriandertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,866 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Oregano + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,756 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, oregano, garlic, cumin, coriander):

Turmericfits better
Rosemaryfits better
Basilfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, oregano, garlic, cumin, coriander. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

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