Name: Gourmet Mushroom Rice
Ingredients: 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced in half; 1 cup chopped onion; 1/4 cup diced fully cooked ham; 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 3 cups hot cooked rice; 1/4 cup dry sherry; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Gourmet Mushroom Rice

Ingredients

Directions

Cook mushrooms, onion and ham in butter in large skillet over medium heat until onion is golden.
Stir in salt, pepper and sherry; heat.
Pour over rice and toss lightly.
Garnish with parsley.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

641Calories

35 gProtein

26 gFat

60 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pork	100g cooked	242
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Mushrooms	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Mushroom + sherrytop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,176 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (smoky, clove).
Mushroom + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,525 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Mushroom + ricetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,515 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Onion + parsleytop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,843 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

Mushrooms: Provide the main savory bulk and release moisture that concentrates as they cook.
Onion: Turns golden and sweet as it cooks, building flavor for the dish.
Ham: Adds a salty, savory meaty flavor throughout the dish.
Butter: Carries flavor and helps the vegetables brown in the skillet.
Dry sherry: Adds acidity and aroma that brighten the mushrooms and ham.
Rice: Forms the base that soaks up the mushroom mixture and pan juices.

The step that matters

Cook the mushrooms and onion until golden. Mushrooms release water first, and a crowded or covered pan steams them instead of browning. Browning builds deeper flavor, so let the moisture cook off before adding the sherry.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mushroom, ham, butter, pepper, rice, sherry, parsley):

Carrotfits better
Shallotfits better
Capsicumfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against mushroom, ham, butter, pepper, rice, sherry, parsley. 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.

Rice Fritters84 recipes

Mushroom Soup60 recipes

Steamed Rice48 recipes

Rice Griddle Cakes28 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The 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.

Gourmet Mushroom Rice