Name: Steak and Peppers
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef top loin steak, cut into thin strips; 2 teaspoons paprika; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/2 cup chopped onion; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1/2 cup beef broth; 1/3 cup dry red wine; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 medium green pepper, cut into thin strips; 1 medium red pepper, cut into thin strips; 3 cups hot cooked rice

Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. 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.

Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,092 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + ricetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,433 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,971 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Beef + ricetop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,265 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Beef top loin steak: Provides the main protein; thin strips cook quickly over high heat and stay tender.
Cornstarch: Thickens the broth and wine mixture into a glossy sauce as it heats.
Green and red peppers: Add sweetness and crisp-tender texture when simmered briefly at the end.
Beef broth and dry red wine: Form the liquid base of the sauce, adding savory and acidic flavor.
Chopped onion: Softens and sweetens in the hot oil, adding aromatic flavor to the beef.

The step that matters

Thickening the sauce. Cornstarch must be fully blended into the cold liquid before it goes in, and the mixture must be stirred while it heats. Stirring keeps it from clumping, and it thickens only once it reaches a simmer.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pepper, red wine, rice):

Tomatofits better
Capsicumfits better
Potatofits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pepper, red wine, rice. 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
Beef	100g cooked	250
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Steak and Peppers