Nutty Noodles

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. Sesame + peanuttop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together349 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).

2. Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together6,038 recipes

   Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

3. Pasta + sesametop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together43 recipes

   Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

4. Sesame + ricetop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together984 recipes

   Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

5. Sesame + gingertop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,531 recipes

   Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

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

What each ingredient does

Thin spaghetti or other pasta

Forms the body of the dish and holds the sauce on its surface.

Smooth peanut or cashew butter

Provides fat and body, making the dressing thick, creamy and nutty.

Toasted sesame oil

Adds a rich, toasted aroma and carries flavor through the noodles.

Low-sodium soy sauce

Supplies savory, salty depth that balances the sweetness and acidity.

Rice or red wine vinegar

Adds acidity that brightens the rich nut butter and keeps the dressing lively.

Honey

Adds sweetness that rounds out the vinegar and soy sauce.

The step that matters

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pasta, sesame, peanut, sauce, rice, honey, ginger):

1. Turmericfits better
2. Corianderfits better
3. Garlicfits better
4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pasta, sesame, peanut, sauce, rice, honey, ginger. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.