Why it works: Onion and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,259 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Tempeh Reuben
Ingredients
Directions
1. Using water or oil, place enough to coat pan for frying onions and carrots until soft.
2. Season with tamari.
3. Place tofu slices in pan with carrots and onions and sprinkle with additional tamari. Cover and simmer 2-5 minutes, then turn over and sprinkle other side. Continue to add water as needed to avoid burning/sticking.
4. Place sauerkraut on tofu slices to taste. Pour in a small amount of sauerkraut 'juice.' Simmer an additional 2- 5 minutes.
5. Prepare vegan bread by spreading on veganaisse and mustard.
6. Place tofu slices on vegan bread with sauerkraut, onion and carrot as topping.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Tofu | 100g firm | 76 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Carrot | 1 medium (61g) | 25 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Sauerkraut | not in our table | 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.
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.
-
Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,259 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + carrottop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together21,601 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tofu + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together729 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Carrot + mustardtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,073 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tofu + mustardtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the carrot
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, bread, onion, mustard):
- Chivefits better
- Lettucefits better
- Shallotfits better
- Carrotthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, bread, onion, mustard. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
You might also like
Brown Bread461 recipes
Carrot Soup134 recipes
White Bread80 recipes
Bread Omelette60 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.