Gogi Wan-ja Jun

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. Onion + sesametop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,192 recipes

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

4. Garlic + sesametop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,000 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

5. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together17,092 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

What each ingredient does

Ground beef or pork

Provides the main protein and savory body of the meatballs.

Tofu

Adds moisture and a softer texture to the meat mixture.

Eggs

Bind the mixture and, with flour, form a coating that browns when fried.

Flour

Dries the meatball surface so the egg coating adheres and browns in the pan.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, tofu, egg, onion, pepper, sesame, flour):

1. Turmericfits about as well
2. Garlicthe original
3. Cuminfits about as well
4. Parsleyfits less well

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