Why it works: Bison and sesame work together. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and 3 recipes mention both. Both carry 1-hexanol, which smells resin, flower. The science ↓
The recipe
4 servingsIngredients
Contains: wheat, sesame (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Whisk the beef broth, teriyaki sauce, cornstarch, grated ginger and crushed red pepper together in a bowl until smooth and set aside.
Pat the bison steaks dry. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Sear the steaks 3 to 4 minutes per side until an instant-read thermometer reads at least 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Rest them on a cutting board for 3 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain.
Add the broccoli, carrots, bell pepper and mushrooms to the same skillet and stir-fry over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp-tender.
Stir in the drained bamboo shoots, then pour in the broth mixture and stir until thickened and bubbling, about 1 minute.
Return the sliced steak and any juices to the skillet and toss for 30 seconds to heat through.
Spoon the stir-fry over hot cooked brown rice. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and toasted sesame seeds if using.
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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Bison + sesametop 13% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together3 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanol (resin, flower).
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Ginger + carrottop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,377 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Sesame + broccolitop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together372 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
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Pepper + carrottop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,555 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Ginger + sesametop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,531 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the sesame
The recipe marks sesame as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bison, beef, sauce, ginger, pepper, broccoli, carrot):
- Sesamethe original
- Beansabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against bison, beef, sauce, ginger, pepper, broccoli, carrot. 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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