Name: Vegetable Chow Mein
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 package Chow Mein Noodles, 9 Ounce Package; 1 cup Olive Oil; 2 cups Sliced Red Onions; 2 teaspoons Knorr Chicken Flavored Bouillon Granules; 1 cup Carrots, Sliced Or Cut Into Matchsticks; 3 Tablespoons Honey; 1 whole Sliced Medium Sized Red Bell Peppers; 1 whole Sliced Medium Sized Green Bell Peppers; 1 cup Pitted, Sliced Black Olives; ¼ cups Soy Sauce; 1 cup Shredded Carrots; ½ teaspoons Salt; 2 cups Diced Cucumbers

Why it works: Carrot and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and 14,555 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. 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.

Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together14,555 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Olive + cucumbertop 6% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together3,611 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
Onion + carrottop 6% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together21,601 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Carrot + cucumbertop 8% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together1,215 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + cucumbertop 8% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together6,050 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 cucumber

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, onion, chicken, carrot, honey, pepper, sauce):

Capsicumbetter flavor fit
Tomatobetter flavor fit
Potatobetter flavor fit
Cucumberthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, onion, chicken, carrot, honey, pepper, sauce. 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).

Vegetable Chow Mein