Name: Cajun Tofu
Ingredients: 2 pounds firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes *; 1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped; 1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped; 1 large white onion, finely chopped; 1 cup chopped celery; 2 cans cooked, peeled tomatoes; 4 cans tomato sauce; 1 gallon water or vegetable stock; 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley; 1/2 cup finely sliced green onion tops; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 2 teaspoons salt; Diced red chiles, to taste; 1 minced habañero pepper; 2 1/2 teaspoons black pepper; 2 teaspoons garlic salt; 3 teaspoons paprika; 3 or 4 fresh bay leaves; Fresh parsley sprigs

Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. 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.

Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,810 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,076 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Parsley + garlictop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,308 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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 protein body and holds its shape in the stew after searing.
Flour (in the method): Forms a roux that thickens the stew's liquid as it cooks.
Tomatoes: Add acidity, body and savory depth to the stew base.
Bell peppers: Add sweetness and fresh vegetable flavor as they soften in the stew.
Onion: Adds sweetness and aromatic depth as it softens in the base.
Tomato sauce: Adds liquid, body and concentrated tomato flavor to the stew.

The step that matters

Making the roux. Flour must be cooked in the fat until thickened and no longer raw-tasting, or the stew will taste pasty and fail to thicken smoothly.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, pepper, celery, tomato, sauce, parsley, garlic):

Carrotfits better
Spinachfits better
Capsicumfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, pepper, celery, tomato, sauce, parsley, garlic. 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
Tofu	100g firm	76
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Green Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Bay Leaf	1 leaf (0.6g)	2
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

Cajun Tofu

Cajun Tofu

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the tofu

Make the stew

Serve

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)