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Braised Mexican-Spiced Vegetables

A braised vegetable dish with Mexican spices, squash, bell pepper, corn, tomatillos, and lime.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Coriander and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,536 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Braised Mexican-Spiced Vegetables

Timeabout 20 minutes of simmering

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the base

  1. Heat oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan.

  2. Add scallions and celery, cook stirring occasionally until softened, about 4 minutes.

  3. Add tomatillos, garlic, oregano, coriander, and chili powder, cook stirring occasionally, 4 minutes.

Braise the vegetables

  1. Stir in 1 ½ cups water, cover, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.

  2. Add squash and salt, return to a boil.

  3. Reduce heat to medium‑low, cover partially, simmer 5 minutes.

  4. Stir in bell pepper, continue simmering partially covered until squash almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

  5. Stir in corn, simmer partially covered until all vegetables just tender, about 5 minutes.

Finish and serve

  1. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice and a little more salt if necessary.

  2. Serve hot, garnished with cilantro if desired.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

382Calories
8 gProtein
16 gFat
61 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 13 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Winter Squash1 cup cubed (140g) butternut76
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Coriandernot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

  1. Coriander + limetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,536 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Pepper + limetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,491 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Lime + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together291 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Coriander + oreganotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together506 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Oregano + clovetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together556 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

What each ingredient does

Winter squash
Becomes tender during simmering and forms the substantial body of the dish.
Tomatillos
Provide tart, acidic flavor and soften into the braising liquid.
Corn
Adds sweetness and a tender bite to the finished vegetables.
Red bell pepper
Adds sweetness and crisp-tender texture after brief simmering.
Scallions
Soften in hot oil, building a mild onion-like aromatic base.

The step that matters

Simmering after the squash is added. Squash must be cooked through without turning mushy. Adding vegetables in stages and simmering partially covered lets each one reach tenderness at a different time while the liquid keeps them moist.

Swap the winter squash

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coriander, pepper, corn, lime, oregano, celery, clove):

  1. Lemonfits better
  2. Avocadofits better
  3. Mangofits better
  4. Winter squashthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against coriander, pepper, corn, lime, oregano, celery, clove. 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.

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