Why it works: Flour and safflower work together. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 71 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Dilis
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
In a medium bowl, mix sugar, vinegar, hot sauce and salt.
Toss dilis in the mixture until well coated and dredge in flour.
Fry and serve
In a medium skillet, fry dilis over moderate heat until golden brown and crispy, keeping each one separate.
Drain on paper towel.
Serve with a dip of vinegar, salt and pepper.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Safflower | not in our table | 0 |
| Soybean | 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.
-
Flour + safflowertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together71 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + saucetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,147 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sauce + flourtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,078 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Dilis
- Small dried fish that become crisp and golden when fried, forming the main texture.
- Flour
- Coats the fish so it browns and crisps during frying.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharp vinegar and hot sauce coating.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the coating and the dipping sauce.
The step that matters
Keeping each dilis separate while frying. If the fish are crowded or clumped together in the skillet, they steam instead of frying, so they stay soft rather than crisp and brown unevenly.
Swap the safflower
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, vinegar, sauce, flour):
- Jalapenofits better
- Capersfits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Safflowerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, vinegar, sauce, flour. 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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