Name: Leek and Ginger Matzo Balls in Lemongrass Consommé
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 3 3/4- to 4-pound chickens, quartered; 4 whole lemongrass stalks, halved lengthwise, cut into 3-inch pieces; 2 celery stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces; 2 garlic cloves, peeled, halved; Peel of 1 large lime, cut off in strips with vegetable peeler; 1/2 large white onion; 1 6- to 7-inch piece large leek (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise; 1 1-inch-long piece fresh ginger, peeled, halved; 1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lemon juice; 4 large eggs; 1/3 cup finely chopped leek (white and pale green parts only); 1/3 cup chicken fat (reserved from consommé or purchased), melted, cooled; 2 tablespoons chicken broth or club soda; 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt; 1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger; Pinch of freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup unsalted matzo meal; Chopped fresh chives

Why it works: Clove and ginger 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.

Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,038 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Lime + gingertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,621 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Celery + leektop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,093 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Onion + leektop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,326 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl butyrate (apple, fruity).

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

Swap the lime

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, celery, garlic, clove, onion, leek, ginger):

Lemonfits about as well
Limethe original
Avocadofits about as well
Coconutfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, celery, garlic, clove, onion, leek, ginger. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Vegetable	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Leek	1 medium (89g)	54
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Celery Stalks	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Lemongrass	1 tbsp (6g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Chives	1 tbsp (3g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Leek and Ginger Matzo Balls in Lemongrass Consommé