Name: Arugula Salad with Tofu Croutons
Ingredients: Dressing; 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar; 1 Tbs. Dijon-style mustard; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup olive oil; Croutons; 6 oz. firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes; 1 small red onion, sliced; Salad; 3 bunches arugula, washed and dried; 1 cup sliced domestic mushrooms; 1 medium-sized cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced; 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Why it works: Mustard and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,259 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. 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.

Mustard + oniontop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,259 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,571 recipes

Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,067 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Mustard + olivetop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,950 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Olive + tofutop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together678 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

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

What each ingredient does

Olive oil: Forms the emulsified body of the dressing and carries flavor across the greens.
Dijon-style mustard: Helps emulsify the oil and vinegar so the dressing stays smooth and cohesive.
Balsamic vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the rich oil.
Firm tofu: Bakes into crisp-edged cubes that give the salad a chewy, toasted contrast.
Red onion: Roasts until sweet and mellow, adding sweetness and savory depth to the croutons.

The step that matters

Slowly adding the olive oil to the dressing. Adding oil in a slow, steady stream while the blender runs lets it disperse into tiny droplets held by the mustard, producing a stable emulsion. Pouring it in too fast can cause the dressing to separate.

Swap the arugula

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, mustard, pepper, olive, tofu, onion, mushroom):

Capsicumfits better
Broccolifits better
Spinachfits better
Arugulathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, mustard, pepper, olive, tofu, onion, mushroom. 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
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cherry	1 cup (138g)	87
Tofu	100g firm	76
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Arugula	1 cup (20g)	5
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Salad	not in our table	0

Arugula Salad with Tofu Croutons