Name: Hoisin-Glazed Meatloaf Sandwiches
Yield: Makes 12 servings
Ingredients: 3/4 cup hoisin sauce; 1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar; 1 1" piece ginger, peeled, minced; 1 garlic clove, minced; Nonstick vegetable oil spray; 2 cups 1/2" cubes day-old crustless white bread (from 2 slices); 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth; 4 slices bacon, minced; 1 1/3 cups thinly sliced scallions (dark-green parts separated); 3 celery stalks, minced (about 1 cup); 1 4" piece ginger, peeled, minced; 7 garlic cloves, minced; 1 pound ground beef; 1 pound ground pork; 2 large eggs, beaten to blend; 3 whole star anise, finely ground in a spice mill (about 2 teaspoons ground), or 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup each matchstick-size pieces peeled carrots, cucumbers, and radishes; 3/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar; Pinch of kosher salt; Pinch of sugar; 4 teaspoons (or more) vegetable oil, divided; 12 thick slices white sandwich bread, toasted; 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro; An 8 1/2x4 1/2x3" loaf pan

Why it works: Ginger and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

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.

Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,038 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Rice + chickentop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,769 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Ginger + garlictop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,402 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Garlic + chickentop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,850 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
Garlic + clovetop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,368 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 (sauce, rice, vinegar, ginger, garlic, bread, chicken):

Turmericfits better
Corianderfits better
Cuminfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, rice, vinegar, ginger, garlic, bread, chicken. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Beef	100g cooked	250
Pork	100g cooked	242
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
White Bread	1 slice (30g) white	79
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bacon	1 slice cooked (8g)	43
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Celery Stalks	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Sauce	not in our table	0
Star Anise	not in our table	0

Hoisin-Glazed Meatloaf Sandwiches