Why it works: Beef and brussels sprouts work together. They rank in the top 31% of all ingredient pairs, and 4 recipes mention both. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 4Ingredients
Contains: wheat, peanut, soy (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.
Slice the flank steak thinly across the grain and season the pieces with the salt and pepper.
In a bowl, whisk the beef broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the beef in a single layer and sear 1 to 2 minutes per side until it reaches 145°F (63°C). Transfer to a plate and rest 3 minutes.
Add the remaining peanut oil and the halved Brussels sprouts to the skillet. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until browned and tender-crisp.
Add the grated ginger and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Stir the sauce again, pour it into the skillet and simmer 1 to 2 minutes until thickened.
Return the beef and any resting juices to the skillet and toss 1 minute to heat through. Serve immediately.
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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Beef + brussels sproutstop 31% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together4 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,491 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Lime + gingertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,621 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Pepper + beeftop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together18,971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + gingertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together6,799 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the lime
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, peanut oil, beef, sugar, sauce, brussels sprouts, ginger):
- Lemonabout as good a flavor fit
- Limethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, peanut oil, beef, sugar, sauce, brussels sprouts, ginger. 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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