Name: Christmas Vegetable Salad Mold
Ingredients: 1 tbsp Granulated gelatin; 1/2 cup Cold water; 1 cup Chicken broth; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Dried dill weed; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 cup Low-fat yogurt; 1 cup Green pepper, finely chopped; 1/2 cup Radishes, sliced quartered; 1/4 cup Green onion, chopped finely; 2 tbsp Fresh parsley, snipped; Crisp lettuce leaves

Why it works: Dill and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,630 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.

Dill + peppertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,630 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Gelatin + sugartop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,778 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,814 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Dill + radishtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
Radish + oniontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together323 recipes

Shared aroma: acetal (cream, earthy).

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

What each ingredient does

Gelatin: Sets the liquid mixture into a firm mold that holds its shape when unmolded.
Yogurt: Adds creaminess and a mild tang that balances the savory broth.
Chicken broth: Provides the savory liquid base that the gelatin sets around.
Green pepper: Adds crisp texture and fresh, grassy flavor to the set mold.
Radishes: Adds crunch and a peppery bite throughout the mold.

The step that matters

Chill until the consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Gelatin must be partly set before the vegetables are folded in. If it is too runny, the pieces sink and settle unevenly; if it is too firm, it will not blend smoothly and the mold may form lumps.

Swap the radish

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (gelatin, chicken, dill, sugar, yogurt, pepper, onion):

Potatofits better
Capsicumfits better
Carrotfits better
Radishthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against gelatin, chicken, dill, sugar, yogurt, pepper, onion. 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
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Gelatin	1 envelope (7g)	23
Lettuce	1 cup shredded (36g)	5
Dill	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

Christmas Vegetable Salad Mold