Why it works: Paneer and spinach work together. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and 21 recipes mention both. Both carry nonanal, which smells fat, citrus. The science ↓
The recipe
2 servingsIngredients
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, add 1 tablespoon of the canola oil and set over medium-high heat. Add the paneer cubes and cook, turning, until golden on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Drain, rinse under cold water and squeeze dry.
Blend the spinach with a splash of water until smooth and set the puree aside.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and dried red chiles and cook until the seeds sizzle, about 1 minute.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the diced tomato and cook, stirring, until soft and pulpy, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the curry powder, ground coriander, ground turmeric and salt and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the spinach puree and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the paneer and simmer for 5 more minutes until heated through. Adjust salt 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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Paneer + spinachtop 6% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together21 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
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Cumin + tomatotop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together3,272 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Cumin + gingertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,733 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Tomato + garlictop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together14,075 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Cumin + garlictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,083 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (paneer, canola oil, cumin, spinach, tomato, garlic, pepper):
- Corianderbetter flavor fit
- Oreganobetter flavor fit
- Turmericabout as good a flavor fit
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against paneer, canola oil, cumin, spinach, tomato, garlic, pepper. 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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