Why it works: Lime and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,491 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Lemongrass Beef Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the broth
Crush lemongrass and cut in half.
In a large sauce pot, add lemongrass, water, and 1 tablespoon uncooked jasmine rice.
Cover and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Assemble and serve
Cut beef slices into 2‑inch strips; place in a large soup bowl.
Add lime juice, sugar, chili pepper, fish sauce, basil, and green onions.
Pour hot stock into bowl. Stir before serving.
Serve with cooked jasmine rice.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Lemongrass | 1 tbsp (6g) | 5 |
| Basil | 5 leaves fresh (2.5g) | 1 |
| Water | 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.
-
Lime + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,491 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Lime + basiltop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together505 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Pepper + basiltop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,294 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Rice + limetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,014 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Rice + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Top sirloin
- Provides the tender beef that cooks quickly in the hot broth.
- Fish sauce
- Adds salty, savoury depth that rounds out the broth.
- Lime juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the broth and balances the sweetness.
- Lemongrass
- Infuses the broth with its citrusy aroma during simmering.
- Jasmine rice
- Lightly thickens the broth and adds a subtle nutty flavour.
The step that matters
Simmer the broth for 30 minutes. Simmering gently extracts lemongrass aroma and flavour into the water. A hard, rapid boil can make the broth cloudy and mute its delicate fragrance.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (jasmine, rice, lime, sugar, pepper, fish sauce, basil):
- Capsicumfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Carrotfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against jasmine, rice, lime, sugar, pepper, fish sauce, basil. 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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