Name: Orange Pork Stir-Fry
Ingredients: 1/2 cup orange juice; 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon sherry; 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger; 1 teaspoon fresh grated orange peel; 3/4 pound pork tenderloin, cut into strips; 3 cups mixed fresh vegetables (choose from the following): green pepper, red pepper, snow peas, carrots, green onions, mushrooms or onions; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1/2 cup unsalted cashews bits or halves; 3 cups hot cooked rice

Why it works: Clove and ginger 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.

Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,038 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Sesame + gingertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,531 recipes

Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Orange + gingertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,833 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
Sesame + garlictop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,000 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Orange + clovetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,987 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

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

What each ingredient does

Pork tenderloin: Provides the main protein, which browns in the hot pan and stays tender when cooked briefly.
Cornstarch: Thickens the reserved marinade into a glossy sauce that clings to the pork and vegetables.
Orange juice: Adds sweetness and acidity to the marinade and the sauce.
Soy sauce: Adds salt and savory depth to the marinade and the sauce.
Cashews: Add crunch and fat that contrast with the soft pork and sauce.

The step that matters

Stir-fry the pork in a hot pan. The pan must be hot enough to brown the pork quickly. Crowding or overcooking it can steam the meat, leaving it grey and tough.

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sesame, sauce, clove, garlic, sherry, ginger, pork):

Limefits better
Avocadofits better
Coconutfits better
Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sesame, sauce, clove, garlic, sherry, ginger, pork. 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
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Pork	100g cooked	242
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Cashew	1 oz (28g / ~18 nuts)	157
Sesame	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Vegetable	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Pea	1/2 cup (72g)	62
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2

Orange Pork Stir-Fry