Why it works: Horseradish and celery work together. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 835 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Ham with Fruited Rice Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Combine ham, rice, horseradish, onion, celery, egg and sour cream; mix well.
Form into 10 balls.
Place balls on top of pineapple slices.
Place in shallow pan.
Bake and serve
Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.
Serve topped with additional sour cream, if desired.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Pineapple | 1 cup chunks (165g) | 82 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Horseradish | 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.
-
Horseradish + celerytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together835 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Horseradish + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,784 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Rice + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,169 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Rice + oniontop 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
- Ground cooked ham
- Provides the savory meat base that gives the balls their main flavor and body.
- Cooked rice
- Adds bulk and a tender, soft texture that holds the balls together.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture so the balls keep their shape while baking.
- Sour cream
- Adds moisture and tang, keeping the balls from drying out in the oven.
- Pineapple slices
- Adds sweetness and acidity, and its sugars help the bottoms brown in the hot oven.
The step that matters
Forming and placing the balls on pineapple. The mixture is soft and moist, so it must be shaped firmly and set on the pineapple so it holds form. Too loose a mix can spread or slump in the oven, and the egg needs to be well combined to bind it.
Swap the pineapple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, rice, horseradish, onion, celery, egg, cream):
- Avocadofits better
- Lemonfits better
- Limefits better
- Pineapplethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against ham, rice, horseradish, onion, celery, egg, cream. 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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