Name: Oriental Beef Supper
Ingredients: 1 cup sliced onion; 1 large green pepper, cut into thin strips; 1 cup diagonally sliced celery; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 pound beef round steak, thinly sliced; 1 cup beef broth; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch; 3 fresh tomatoes, peeled and cut into quarters; 3 cups hot cooked rice; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Why it works: Celery and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,377 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. 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.

Celery + tomatotop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,377 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Pepper + celerytop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together16,012 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Tomato + ricetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,065 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Onion + beeftop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,092 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,518 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Beef round steak: Provides the main protein, which browns quickly in the hot skillet for savory flavor.
Cornstarch: Thickens the broth and soy sauce mixture into a glossy sauce that clings to the meat and vegetables.
Soy sauce: Adds salty, savory depth to the sauce.
Green pepper: Adds crisp texture and fresh, slightly bitter flavor that holds up to quick cooking.
Fresh tomatoes: Add moisture and mild acidity, softening into the sauce as they heat through.

The step that matters

Brown the meat quickly in a hot skillet. Thin slices of beef cook fast; searing them over high heat browns the surface for flavor, while overcrowding or lingering makes the meat steam and turn grey and tough.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, celery, beef, sauce, sugar, tomato, rice):

Capsicumfits better
Carrotfits better
Mustardfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, celery, beef, sauce, sugar, tomato, rice. 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
Beef	100g cooked	250
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Oriental Beef Supper