Why it works: Garlic and tahini work together. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 395 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-methylbutyraldehyde, which smells malty, chocolate. The science ↓
The recipe
4 servingsIngredients
Contains: wheat, soy, sesame (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
- Veggies
- Sauce
- Noodles
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Cook the rice noodles in a pot of boiling water according to the package directions until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
In a bowl, whisk the tamari, apple cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice, red Thai curry paste, tahini, ground ginger, agave nectar or sugar, and coconut milk until smooth. Taste and adjust the vinegar.
Heat the olive or sesame oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the carrots and green beans and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
Add the green peppers, garlic, and any optional vegetables such as celery, green onion, or napa cabbage. Stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender.
Pour in the sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes until it thickens slightly.
Add the drained noodles and toss gently for 2 minutes until coated and heated through.
Tear in the optional Thai basil leaves, toss once more, and serve hot.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Garlic + tahinitop 7% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together395 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
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Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together10,172 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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Olive + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together23,449 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Pepper + celerytop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together16,001 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Pepper + carrottop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,555 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the celery
The recipe marks celery as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, pepper, garlic, green beans, carrot, wheat, sauce):
- Parsleyabout as good a flavor fit
- Basilabout as good a flavor fit
- Cuminabout as good a flavor fit
- Celerythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against olive, pepper, garlic, green beans, carrot, wheat, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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