Name: Curried Potatoes Cauliflower and Peas
Ingredients: 1 Tbs. olive oil; 2 Tbs. grated fresh ginger; 2 medium-sized serrano chiles, seeded and chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 medium-sized onion, chopped; 1 large shallot, minced; 2 1/2 lb. small red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 5 cups); 1 medium-sized head cauliflower, broken into florets (about 6 cups); 1/2 cup mirin; 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed; 1 tsp. Madras curry powder; 1 tsp. ground cumin; 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro; Juice of 1 lime (3 Tbs.); 1 cup boiling vegetarian “chicken” stock; 1 1/2 Tbs. Bragg Liquid Aminos

Why it works: Ginger and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. 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.

Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,038 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Garlic + potatotop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,517 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

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

What each ingredient does

Potatoes: Provide the bulk of the dish and, when browned, add color and a toasty, caramelized flavor.
Cauliflower: Adds bulk and tender texture as it cooks in the seasoned liquid.
Onion: Softens and sweetens as it cooks, forming the flavor base of the dish.
Mirin: Adds sweetness and a mild acidity that balances the spices.
Lime juice: Adds acidity that brightens the spices and balances the sweetness.
Stock: Supplies the cooking liquid that is reduced to a flavorful sauce around the vegetables.

The step that matters

Cooking the potatoes until browned and softened. Browning the potato slices in hot oil creates caramelized flavor through the Maillard reaction, while cooking them through softens the starch so they become tender rather than raw in the center.

Swap the cauliflower

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, ginger, clove, garlic, onion, shallot, potato):

Chivefits better
Broccolifits better
Kalefits better
Cauliflowerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, ginger, clove, garlic, onion, shallot, potato. 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
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Pea	1/2 cup (72g)	62
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Turmeric	1 tsp ground (3g)	9
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Shallot	1 tbsp minced (10g)	7
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1

Curried Potatoes Cauliflower and Peas