Name: Tofu and Broccoli Stir-fry
Ingredients: 2/3 cup water; 2 tbsp dry sherry; 2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce; 4 tsp cornstarch; 1 tsp grd ginger; 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper; nonstick spray coating; 2 cl garlic, minced; 3 cup broccoli, cut into bite-size; -pieces; 1/2 cup onion, cut into wedges; 1 cup fresh bean sprouts; 1 lbs tofu, fresh (bean curd) cut; -into ½" pieces; 1 1/3 cup cooked brown rice, hot

Why it works: Garlic and onion 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.

Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

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

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,072 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Broccoli + oniontop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,294 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Ginger + garlictop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,402 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ginger + broccolitop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together652 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

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

What each ingredient does

Tofu: Provides the protein base and soft, absorbent body that takes on the sauce.
Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce as it heats, turning the liquid glossy and clinging to the vegetables.
Broccoli: Adds firm texture and bulk that holds its bite through quick high-heat stir-frying.
Soy sauce: Adds salty, savory depth that seasons the sauce and the tofu throughout.
Bean sprouts: Contribute crisp, juicy texture that stays crunchy after a brief stir-fry.

The step that matters

Thickening the sauce. Cornstarch only thickens once the sauce reaches a boil and is stirred, so it must be cooked until bubbly. Stopping early leaves it thin and cloudy, and stirring prevents lumps and scorching on the pan.

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sherry, sauce, pepper, garlic, broccoli, onion, tofu):

Cuminfits about as well
Turmericfits about as well
Thymefits about as well
Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sherry, sauce, pepper, garlic, broccoli, onion, tofu. 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
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Tofu	100g firm	76
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Water	not in our table	0
Bean	not in our table	0

Tofu and Broccoli Stir-fry