Name: Mock Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients: 1 pound firm tofu; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Why it works: Tofu and lemon work together. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 179 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓

Mock Ricotta Cheese

Ingredients

1 pound firm tofu
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Mash all ingredients until cottage cheese appearance.
Use as you would ricotta cheese – in lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti, pizza, or layered casseroles.
If blended until creamy, it makes a great sour cream replacement.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

137Calories

8 gProtein

5 gFat

18 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Tofu	100g firm	76
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Tofu + lemontop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together179 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together53,532 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Tofu + sugartop 26% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together310 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Firm tofu: Provides the body and crumbly, curd-like texture that stands in for ricotta.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and mimics the tang of dairy cheese.
Granulated sugar: Adds a small amount of sweetness to balance the lemon and tofu.