Why it works: Rice and corn match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 933 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Rio Bravo Rice-stuffed Poblanos
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the peppers
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Slit each pepper lengthwise so peppers can later be stuffed with rice filling.
Carefully remove loose seeds and veins, keeping stem intact.
Rub pepper generously with oil and place on baking sheet.
Make the filling
Combine rice, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, corn and cilantro in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake and serve
Divide mixture to stuff each pepper; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes, until peppers are crisp-tender and filling is heated through.
Garnish with cilantro.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheddar Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 113 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Cilantro | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Gouda | 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.
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Rice + corntop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together933 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Pepper + corntop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,324 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Pepper + ricetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,379 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Cream + cheddar cheesetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,036 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Rice + cheddar cheesetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together511 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Poblano peppers
- Form the edible shell that holds the filling and softens as it bakes.
- Cooked long grain rice
- Provides the bulk of the filling and absorbs the sour cream's moisture.
- Sour cream
- Adds moisture and tang, keeping the rice filling creamy rather than dry.
- Smoked gouda or cheddar cheese
- Melts into the filling and browns on top, adding richness and savoury flavour.
- Frozen corn kernels
- Adds sweetness and pops of texture to the filling.
The step that matters
Baking time and pepper doneness. Peppers must become crisp-tender and the filling heated through; overbaking turns peppers limp and dries the rice, while underbaking leaves the filling cold and the pepper raw-tasting.
“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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