Why it works: Sriracha and ginger work together. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 153 recipes mention both. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 6Ingredients
Contains: peanut, soy, 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.
Place the peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and warm it for about 10 seconds, just until soft enough to stir smoothly.
Add the honey to the peanut butter and whisk until smooth and fully combined.
Whisk in the ginger paste, garlic powder, salt, soy sauce, sriracha sauce and white vinegar until evenly mixed.
Slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil and toasted sesame oil while whisking constantly so the dressing emulsifies and turns glossy.
Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning with a little more salt or sriracha if needed.
Transfer the dressing to a jar with a lid, seal it, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to chill. Shake well before serving.
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.
-
Sriracha + gingertop 5% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together153 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Sesame + peanuttop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together349 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Sesame + gingertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,531 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
-
Garlic + peanuttop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together877 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Garlic + gingertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together6,402 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the sriracha
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, honey, vinegar, sauce, sesame, peanut, butter):
- Gingerbetter flavor fit
- Corianderabout as good a flavor fit
- Srirachathe original
- Pepperabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, honey, vinegar, sauce, sesame, peanut, butter. 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).
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.