Italian Chops and Rice

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.

1. Oregano + basiltop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,390 recipes

   Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together29,058 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

3. Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,979 recipes

   Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

4. Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,767 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).

5. Oregano + garlictop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,756 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

What each ingredient does

Pork chops

Provide the main protein, which browns in the oil and gains flavour from the searing.

Uncooked rice

Absorbs the broth and tomato liquid as it simmers, becoming the starchy base of the dish.

Chicken broth

Supplies liquid for the rice to cook in and adds savoury depth to the sauce.

Tomatoes

Provide acidity and liquid that combine with the broth to flavour the rice.

Onion

Softens and sweetens as it cooks, adding aromatic base flavour to the dish.

Green pepper

Softens during cooking, adding fresh, slightly bitter vegetable flavour to the sauce.

The step that matters

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, pepper, tomato, chicken, oregano, basil, garlic):

1. Capsicumfits better
2. Eggplantfits better
3. Potatofits better
4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, pepper, tomato, chicken, oregano, basil, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.