Name: Mixed Pulses and Herb Soup
Yield: Serves 6-8
Ingredients: 50 g/2 oz mung beans; 50 g/2 oz split peas; 50 g/2 oz green lentils; 50 g/2 oz red kidney beans; 50 g/2 oz black-eyed beans (or white beans such as cannellini); 50 g/2 oz chick peas; 50 g/2 oz rice (any variety); Salt and black pepper; 1 large onion; 150 g/5 oz spinach or (beetroot/beet leaves); 100 g/ 3 1/2 oz fresh dill; 100 g/ 3 1/2 oz fresh coriander/cilantro; 100 g/ 3 1/2 oz fresh parsley; 100 g/ 3 1/2 oz fresh chives (or green parts of spring onions/scallions); 50 g/2 oz fresh tarragon (or 2 tablespoons dried); 30 g/ 1 oz fresh (summer savory) (optional); 50 g/2 oz butter; 4 tablespoons sunflower oil; 2 litres/3 1/2 pints boiling water; 3 chicken/vegetable stock cubes; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 4 tablespoons sunflower oil; 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced; 2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped; 20 g/ 3/4 oz butter; 1 tablespoon dried mint

Why it works: Kidney beans and beans match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 364 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells green bell pepper, earthy. The science ↓

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.

Kidney beans + beanstop 1% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together364 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Peas + beanstop 3% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together949 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Mung bean + ricetop 3% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together43 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Beans + ricetop 3% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together942 recipes

Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Lentils + beanstop 3% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together135 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-hexanol (resin, flower).

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

Flavor stand-ins for the lentils

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mung bean, peas, kidney beans, beans, rice, pepper, onion):

Lima beansbetter flavor fit
Sesamebetter flavor fit
Chickpeabetter flavor fit
Lentilsthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against mung bean, peas, kidney beans, beans, rice, pepper, onion. 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).

Mixed Pulses and Herb Soup

The recipe

Ingredients

Directions

Explore the science

The flavor team

Flavor stand-ins for the lentils