Name: Warm Lentil Sprout Salad with Roast Duck
Ingredients: 1/3 cup soy sauce; 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 1/4 cup rice vinegar; 3 tablespoons plum sauce; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon fresh minced cilantro; 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper; 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms; 1/2 cup roasted red bell pepper, diced; 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions; 3 cups cooked wild rice; 3 cups cooked white rice; bibb lettuce or other leaf lettuce; 1 1/2 pounds cooked duck, skinned and julienned; 1 1/2 cups sprouted lentils; 3 cups hot cooked rice; 1 teaspoon oregano; 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp; 3 cups hot cooked rice; grated Parmesan cheese (optional); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Why it works: Plum and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 446 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. 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.

Plum + clovetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together446 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Clove + garlictop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,368 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Vinegar + garlictop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,115 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Rice + garlictop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,358 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Plum + garlictop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,072 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

Sprouted lentils: Add a firm, crisp-textured bite and protein-rich body to the salad.
Wild rice: Adds chewy texture and a nutty flavor that holds its shape when stirred.
White rice: Provides a soft, tender base that binds the salad together.
Cooked duck: Supplies rich, savory meat and fat that contrasts with the light dressing.
Mushrooms: Release moisture and brown in the skillet, adding savory depth.
Soy sauce: Adds salty, savory umami that seasons the dressing.

The step that matters

Saute until the mushrooms begin to brown. Mushrooms release water first, then brown; cooking them until golden concentrates their flavor, while stopping too early leaves them soggy and bland.

Swap the white pepper

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, rice, vinegar, plum, clove, garlic, butter):

Cinnamonfits better
Thymefits better
Tarragonfits better
White pepperthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, rice, vinegar, plum, clove, garlic, butter. 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
Duck	100g cooked with skin	337
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Wild Rice	1 cup cooked (164g)	166
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Lentil	1/2 cup cooked (99g)	115
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Swiss Cheese	1 oz (28g)	108
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Red Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Plum	1 medium (66g)	30
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Mushrooms	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
White Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Lettuce	1 cup shredded (36g)	5
Oregano	1 tsp dried (1.8g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Sauce	not in our table	0
Leaf	not in our table	0
Horseradish	not in our table	0

Warm Lentil Sprout Salad with Roast Duck