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Japanese Tofu, Aubergine and Lotus Root Stew

The Hairy Bikers got their inspiration for this dish from the Buddhist vegetarian cookery of Japan. It’s a celebration of Kyoto’s tofu culture. The Japanese aubergines used in the dish are longer and thinner than the ones we usually use.

By bbcfood · From Open Recipes · 16 ingredients
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Why it works: Tofu and sesame match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 250 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Japanese Tofu, Aubergine and Lotus Root Stew

Serves 4
Prep30 min
Cook1 hr

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1084Calories
32 gProtein
35 gFat
161 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 13 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Sesame1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tofu100g firm76
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Miso1 tbsp (18g)34
Mushroom1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Lotusnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By bbcfood. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

  1. Tofu + sesametop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together250 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Rice + sesametop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together984 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  4. Lotus + sesametop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11 recipes

    Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

  5. Sesame + oniontop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,192 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

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

Swap the leek

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lotus, rice, flour, tofu, sesame, onion, garlic):

  1. Welsh onionfits better
  2. Spinachfits better
  3. Broccolifits better
  4. Leekthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lotus, rice, flour, tofu, sesame, onion, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.