Why it works: Celery and mustard are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,169 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Ham Viennese
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Sauté onion and celery in margarine in a large skillet until tender.
Add soup, dill, mustard, and sour cream until blended.
Add diced ham and simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve
Serve over cooked rice.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Dill | 5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried | 4 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Soup | 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.
-
Celery + mustardtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,169 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Dill + mustardtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together560 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Celery + dilltop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together382 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Rice + chickentop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,769 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,259 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
- Cream of chicken soup
- Forms the creamy base that binds the sauce together and carries the other flavors.
- Sour cream
- Adds richness and a tangy note, and makes the sauce smooth and creamy.
- Ham
- Supplies the savory, meaty flavor that the sauce is built around.
- Celery
- Adds a crisp, slightly vegetal savoriness that softens as it cooks.
- Cooked rice
- Provides a neutral base that soaks up the sauce and makes the dish filling.
The step that matters
Simmer the ham gently after adding the sour cream. Sour cream can curdle or separate when boiled hard. Keeping the heat low and the simmer brief keeps the sauce smooth and creamy.
Swap the dill
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, ham, onion, celery, cream, chicken, mustard):
- Garlicfits better
- Capersfits better
- Turmericfits better
- Dillthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, ham, onion, celery, cream, chicken, mustard. 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.
You might also like
Chicken Broth257 recipes
Chicken Soup156 recipes
Cream of Celery Soup113 recipes
Creamed Chicken89 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.