Why it works: Corn and rice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 933 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Corn Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak raisins in boiling water to plump.
Cook the vegetables
In a deep skillet, saute the celery and onion in oil for 5 minutes.
Add salt and drained raisins, and cook for 2 minutes.
Combine and serve
Add corn and cooked rice and heat through.
Toss lightly with a fork.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | 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.
-
Corn + ricetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together933 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Celery + ricetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,169 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Celery + corntop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together920 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
-
Onion + ricetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Forms the bulk of the pilaf and absorbs the flavours of the oil and vegetables.
- Vegetable oil
- Carries heat to soften the celery and onion and adds richness.
- Onion
- Adds savoury flavour as it softens and sweetens in the hot oil.
- Raisins
- Add sweetness and chew, and plump up in boiling water first.
- Canned corn
- Adds sweetness and pops of texture throughout the rice.
The step that matters
Heat the rice through without over-stirring. Cooked rice that is stirred vigorously or mashed turns gummy and clumpy. Gently folding it with a fork keeps the grains separate while they warm through.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (celery, onion, corn, rice):
- Avocadofits better
- Limefits better
- Coconutfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against celery, onion, corn, 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.
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