Name: Springtime Ham and Rice Salad
Ingredients: 1 cup chopped fresh asparagus; 1/2 cup orange marmalade; 1/4 cup white wine vinegar; 3 cups cooked medium grain rice, chilled; 1 cup cubed smoked ham; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese; 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese; 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, divided

Why it works: Asparagus and rice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 261 recipes. Both carry 2,4-nonadienal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓

Springtime Ham and Rice Salad

Ingredients

1 cup chopped fresh asparagus
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 cups cooked medium grain rice, chilled
1 cup cubed smoked ham
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

Place asparagus in microproof bowl; cook on high power 20 to 30 second or until tender crisp; set aside.
In a small bowl, combine marmalade and vinegar; set aside. In a large bowl, combine asparagus, rice and ham. Add marmalade mixture; toss well.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

939Calories

70 gProtein

41 gFat

71 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pork	100g cooked	242
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Cheddar Cheese	1 oz (28g)	113
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Cottage Cheese	1/2 cup (113g) 2%	98
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Asparagus	6 spears (90g)	27
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3

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).

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.

Asparagus + ricetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together261 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
White wine + vinegartop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,776 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Orange + ricetop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,067 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Asparagus + orangetop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together94 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Orange + white winetop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together730 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (asparagus, white wine, vinegar, rice, ham, egg, cottage cheese):

Lemonfits better
Pineapplefits better
Grapefits better
Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against asparagus, white wine, vinegar, rice, ham, egg, cottage cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.