Name: Pork and Poblano Tamale Pie
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 12 ounces fresh poblano chiles* (about 4 large); 1 large green bell pepper; 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds; 1 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels, thawed; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil, divided; 1 1/2 pounds trimmed boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into 1-inch cubes; Coarse kosher salt; 2 cups chopped white onions; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 1/2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chiles; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1 cup low-salt chicken broth; 1 cup purchased salsa verde (tomatillo salsa); 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro; 3/4 cup all purpose flour; 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably whole-grain stone-ground); 1 teaspoon baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 3/4 teaspoon chili powder; 3/4 cup whole milk; 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted; 1 large egg; 1 tablespoon honey; 1 1/4 cups (packed) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 5 ounces), divided; Sour cream

Why it works: Cumin and coriander match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,866 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. 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.

Cumin + coriandertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,866 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Cumin + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Coriander + garlictop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,474 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

Swap the onion

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

Capsicumfits better
Tomatofits better
Spinachfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, cumin, coriander, corn, olive, pork, garlic. 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
Pork	100g cooked	242
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Honey	1 tbsp (21g)	64
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Seed	not in our table	0
Coriander	not in our table	0

Pork and Poblano Tamale Pie