Name: Chinese Bean Sauce with Tofu
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Oil; 1 tsp Grated ginger; 1 tsp Minced garlic; 2 small Minced red peppers; 5 each Mushrooms, thinly sliced; 3 each Green onions, sliced; 16 oz Tofu, cubed; 2 tbsp Red miso, mixed with ½ c; -- water; 1 tbsp Soy sauce; 1 tbsp Honey; 1 tbsp Tahini; 1/2 tsp Vinegar; 1 tsp Cornstarch dissolved in 2 tb; -- water

Why it works: Tofu and miso share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 75 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. 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.

Tofu + misotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together75 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Garlic + misotop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together128 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ginger + garlictop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,402 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,700 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

Red miso: Provides salty, savoury depth that forms the base of the sauce.
Tofu: Adds soft protein and absorbs the sauce as it simmers.
Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce when heated, giving it a glossy, clingy texture.
Honey: Adds sweetness that balances the salty miso and tangy vinegar.
Mushrooms: Release moisture and savoury flavour as they saute.
Tahini: Adds richness and body from its sesame fat.

The step that matters

Stir in dissolved cornstarch and simmer 30 seconds or until thick. Cornstarch must be dissolved in cold water before adding, or it clumps. It thickens only when the sauce reaches a simmer, so a brief simmer is needed to set it without overcooking.

Swap the ginger

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

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

Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, pepper, mushroom, onion, tofu, miso, 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Tahini	1 tbsp (15g)	89
Tofu	100g firm	76
Honey	1 tbsp (21g)	64
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Miso	1 tbsp (18g)	34
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Water	not in our table	0

Chinese Bean Sauce with Tofu