Why it works: Rice and tomato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,065 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Green Chiles and Rice Frittata
Ingredients
Directions
Cook onions in butter until tender, but not brown, in a small skillet over medium heat.
Beat eggs with milk, salt and pepper sauce.
Stir in rice, tomato, and chiles.
Pour mixture into skillet.
Reduce heat to medium-low.
Cover and cook until top is almost set, 12 to 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Cover, remove from heat, and let stand about 10 minutes.
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 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Sauce | 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.
-
Rice + tomatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,065 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Milk + ricetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 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
- Eggs
- Set into a custard that holds the rice and vegetables together.
- Cooked rice
- Forms the body of the frittata and adds bulk to the eggs.
- Milk
- Adds moisture that keeps the eggs tender rather than dry.
- Cheddar cheese
- Melts into the top and adds richness and savory flavor.
- Green chiles
- Add mild heat and a fresh, aromatic flavor.
The step that matters
Cover and cook until the top is almost set. Egg proteins set with gentle heat, so cooking too hot or too long makes the frittata tough, dry and rubbery. Stopping while the top is still slightly soft lets residual heat finish the set during standing.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, egg, milk, pepper, sauce, rice, tomato):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, egg, milk, pepper, sauce, rice, tomato. 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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