Why it works: Beef and mushroom are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,232 recipes. Both carry 2,4-nonadienal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Barbecued Rice with Meat
Ingredients
Directions
Cook meat, onion, mushrooms and rice in butter until rice is golden.
Add salt, pepper, mustard, chili sauce, celery and mushroom liquid combined with water to make 2 cups liquid, then heat to boiling.
Cover, lower heat and cook 20 to 30 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
Fluff with fork and serve at once.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Mushrooms | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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.
-
Beef + mushroomtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,232 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,259 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mushroom + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,525 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
-
Mushroom + ricetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,515 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Absorbs the cooking liquid and sets into the main body of the dish.
- Butter or margarine
- Fat that coats the rice and helps it turn golden while toasting.
- Cooked beef
- Provides the savory meat base and substantial bite.
- Chili sauce
- Adds tomato-based sweetness and acidity that flavors the liquid.
- Mushrooms
- Contribute moisture and earthy savory flavor as they cook.
The step that matters
Cover, lower heat and cook 20 to 30 minutes. Keeping the lid on and the heat low traps steam so the rice cooks evenly while the liquid is absorbed. Lifting the lid or raising the heat lets steam escape and can leave the rice unevenly cooked or scorched.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, onion, mushroom, rice, butter, pepper, sauce):
- Potatofits better
- Tomatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, onion, mushroom, rice, butter, pepper, sauce. 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.
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