Name: Pork Tenderloin Stir-fry with Sesame Seed
Ingredients: 1 pound pork tenderloin slices, 3/4x1/2-inches; 1 egg white, lightly beaten; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon ginger, grated; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 cups zucchini slices, unpeeled; 1 cup red pepper slices; 1/2 cup slivered almonds; 2 tablespoon dry sherry; 2 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 3 cups hot cooked rice; 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

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).
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together17,451 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ginger + garlictop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,402 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,090 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ginger + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,800 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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; quick high-heat cooking keeps the slices tender when not overcooked.
Egg white: Coats the pork with a thin protein film that helps it stay moist during stir-frying.
Cornstarch: Thickens the pan sauce and helps coat the pork so the sauce clings to it.
Zucchini: Adds bulk and a tender-crisp texture when quickly stir-fried.
Slivered almonds: Add crunch and a toasted, nutty flavor to the stir-fry.
Soy sauce: Adds salty, savory depth and helps brown the sauce in the pan.

The step that matters

Stir-fry the vegetables briefly over medium-high heat. Cooking quickly at high heat keeps zucchini and pepper crisp-tender and lets the surface brown, while overcrowding or long cooking makes them soggy and steamed.

Swap the almond

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, egg, sugar, ginger, garlic, clove, pepper):

Chickpeafits better
Sesamefits better
Cashew nutfits better
Almondthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, egg, sugar, ginger, garlic, clove, pepper. 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
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Almond	1 almond (1.2g)	7
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Toasted Sesame Seed	not in our table	0

Pork Tenderloin Stir-fry with Sesame Seed