Name: Tofu Mango Stir-fry with Pasta
Ingredients: 1/2 lb. capellini pasta; 1 tbsp. sesame oil; 1/2 tsp. cumin; 1/8 tsp. hot chile paste; 1 medium onion, sliced; 2 cups mushrooms, sliced; 1/2 cup firm tofu, diced; 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced; 2 cups red and green peppers, julienned; 2 cups cabbage, sliced; 1 1/2 cups firm ripe mango, diced; 1 tbsp. lime juice; 1/2 lb. bean sprouts; 2 tbsp. soy sauce; 1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts or cashews

Why it works: Sesame and tofu match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 250 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. 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.

Sesame + tofutop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together250 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Pasta + sesametop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together43 recipes

Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Pasta + tofutop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together37 recipes

Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Pasta + cumintop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together56 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Sesame + oniontop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,192 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Capellini pasta: Forms the noodle base that soaks up the sauce and gives the dish its body.
Firm tofu: Adds protein-rich body and a firm texture that holds up to stir-frying.
Mushrooms: Release moisture and savory flavor as they brown in the hot pan.
Mango: Adds sweetness and fruity acidity that balance the soy sauce and spices.
Soy sauce: Provides salt and savory depth that seasons the whole stir fry.
Peanuts or cashews: Add crunch and roasted fat-rich flavor at the end of cooking.

The step that matters

Cooking the onions, spices and vegetables over high heat. High heat sears the vegetables quickly so they brown and keep their texture; crowding the pan or overcooking makes them steam and turn soft and watery.

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pasta, sesame, cumin, onion, mushroom, tofu, pepper):

Garlicfits better
Turmericfits better
Oreganofits better
Celerythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pasta, sesame, cumin, onion, mushroom, tofu, 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
Pasta	1 cup cooked (140g)	220
Peanut	1 oz (28g)	161
Cashew	1 oz (28g / ~18 nuts)	157
Sesame	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Mango	1 cup diced (165g)	99
Tofu	100g firm	76
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Celery Stalks	1 stalk (40g)	6
Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Bean	not in our table	0

Tofu Mango Stir-fry with Pasta