Why it works: Coriander and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,866 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Sate Babi
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the pork into cubes.
Make a marinade from the remaining ingredients.
Add the meat to the marinade and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Skewer the meat onto metal or bamboo/wooden skewers; if using wooden skewers, soak them for half an hour in water.
Cook and serve
Roast the skewered meat under a grill, in a grill pan, or on a barbecue until done, usually about ten minutes or less.
Baste the meat with the remaining marinades during cooking.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 11 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Coriander | not in our table | 0 |
| Sambal | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Coriander + cumintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,866 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Coriander + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,498 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,082 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Garlic + coriandertop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,474 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pork tenderloins
- Provides the lean meat that is skewered and cooked into tender pieces.
- Ketjap manis
- Adds sweetness and salty depth to the marinade and helps the meat brown during roasting.
- Onion
- Adds moisture and savoury flavour to the marinade as it grates into the meat.
- Garlic
- Adds pungent aroma to the marinade that penetrates the meat.
The step that matters
Basting during cooking. Brushing the meat with the marinade as it roasts builds up flavour and browning on the surface. Using only marinade that has already touched raw pork, or failing to keep the surface moist, can leave it dry or unevenly cooked.
Swap the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, onion, clove, garlic, coriander, cumin, lemon):
- Oreganofits better
- Thymefits better
- Turmericfits better
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, onion, clove, garlic, coriander, cumin, lemon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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