Name: Sweet and Sour Tofu
Ingredients: 1 (20 ounce) container tofu; 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks or tidbits; 1/4 cup packed brown sugar; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1/4 cup vinegar; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 medium onion, sliced thin; 1 medium onion, sliced thin; Rice or Chinese noodles

Why it works: Tofu and onion work together. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 729 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Sweet and Sour Tofu

Ingredients

Directions

Drain tofu in a colander, then weigh down tofu with something heavy. Let it sit in the sink while preparing the sauce.
Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce and juice from the pineapple in a saucepan. Bring to a boil until thick and clear.
Slice tofu into cubes and add to sauce; marinate while rice cooks or 1 hour.
Slice onion and pepper into thin strips. Combine with tofu and sauce and pineapple chunks. Heat until vegetables soften, then serve over rice or Chinese noodles.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

924Calories

28 gProtein

7 gFat

188 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Pineapple	1 cup chunks (165g)	82
Tofu	100g firm	76
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3

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).

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 + oniontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together729 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Tofu + ricetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together220 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Onion + ricetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,433 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Pineapple + vinegartop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together411 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
Sugar + saucetop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,147 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

Swap the pineapple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, sugar, vinegar, sauce, onion, rice):

Avocadofits better
Coconutfits better
Limefits better
Pineapplethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, sugar, vinegar, sauce, onion, rice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.