Name: Vegan Feta Cheese
Ingredients: 1 lb. firm mori nu lite tofu, frozen, thawed, drained and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes; 2 cups water; 2.5 T nutritional yeast; 1/2 t salt, or salt-free seasoning; 1/4 t onion powder; 1/4 t paprika; 1/4 t garlic powder; pinch of parsley, dill, thyme, marjoram and turmeric; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 1/4 cup weak chicken-flavoured broth; 1 T tahini; 2T fresh lemon juice; 2 t minced fresh dill, or 1 t dried; 1 t low-sodium tamari; 1/2 t salt, or salt-free seasoning; 1 t dried basil; 1 t dried oregano; 1/2 t garlic powder

Why it works: Thyme and marjoram match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,225 recipes. Both carry terpineol, which smells pine, woody. The science ↓

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.

Thyme + marjoramtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,225 recipes

Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).
Parsley + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,057 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Parsley + marjoramtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,979 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Parsley + dilltop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together669 recipes

Shared aroma: p-mentha-1,3,8-triene (camphor, herbal).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Firm tofu: Provides the main body; pressing and freezing make it firmer and better able to absorb the marinade.
Nutritional yeast: Adds a savoury, nutty, cheese-like flavour.
Red wine vinegar: Adds acidity, giving the tang associated with feta.
Tahini: Adds fat and a creamy, rich texture to the marinade.
Lemon juice: Adds brightness and acidity that lifts the other flavours.
Tamari: Adds savoury depth and salty umami.

The step that matters

Chill for several hours, stirring occasionally. The tofu absorbs the marinade slowly as it chills. Cutting the chill short leaves the cubes bland on the outside and under-seasoned inside, so the chilling time matters.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, garlic, parsley, dill, thyme, marjoram, turmeric):

Shallotfits better
Carrotfits better
Chivefits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, garlic, parsley, dill, thyme, marjoram, turmeric. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Tahini	1 tbsp (15g)	89
Tofu	100g firm	76
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Turmeric	1 tsp ground (3g)	9
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Dill	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0
Marjoram	not in our table	0

Vegan Feta Cheese