Name: Mock Thai Fish Cakes
Ingredients: 400 grams firm tofu; 2 large red chiles, seeded and finely chopped; 1 spring onion, chopped roughly; 2 garlic cloves, chopped roughly; 1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely chopped; 1 to 2 tablespoons coriander, chopped roughly; 3 limes leaves, finely shredded; 1 egg; 100 grams self-rising flour; 1 to 2 tablespoons basil leaves, chopped roughly (optional); 1 tablespoon soy sauce; Juice of 1/4 lime; 2 teaspoons caster sugar; Oil for shallow frying

Why it works: Coriander and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,536 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. 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.

Coriander + limetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,536 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,038 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,505 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Ginger + limetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,621 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 bulk and protein body of the cakes, giving a soft, moist interior.
Egg: Binds the mixture so the cakes hold together when fried.
Self-rising flour: Adds starch and a raising agent that help the cakes set and stay light.
Red chiles: Add heat and fresh pungency that flavours the batter throughout.
Soy sauce: Adds salt and savoury depth, and helps the golden colour develop when fried.
Caster sugar: Balances the salt and heat and encourages browning in the frying oil.

The step that matters

Keep the batter thick. If the batter becomes runny, it spreads in the hot oil and loses its shape. Blending only until smooth keeps it thick enough to hold a spoonful.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, lime, egg):

Cuminfits better
Turmericfits better
Cardamomfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, lime, egg. 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
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Tofu	100g firm	76
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
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Coriander	not in our table	0

Mock Thai Fish Cakes