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Sauce

Trinidad Mango Pepper Salsa

A spicy salsa made with habanero or scotch bonnet peppers, onions, papaya, mango, mustard, turmeric, curry powder, and vinegar.

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Why it works: Papaya and mango share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 82 recipes. Both carry ethyl isobutyrate, which smells fruity, ethereal. The science ↓

Trinidad Mango Pepper Salsa

Time30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Cook

  1. Place all ingredients in a pan.

  2. Bring to a boil.

  3. Lower the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Cool and store

  1. Remove from heat, cool, and store in a jar in refrigerator.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

172Calories
4 gProtein
2 gFat
40 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 10 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Mango1 cup diced (165g)99
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Turmeric1 tsp ground (3g)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Scotchnot in our table0
Seednot in our table0
Papayanot 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. Papaya + mangotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together82 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  2. Mustard + turmerictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,279 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  3. Mango + turmerictop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together256 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Pepper + turmerictop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,478 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  5. Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,259 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

Habanero or scotch bonnet peppers
Provide the main heat and a fruity, pungent aroma.
White onions
Soften during simmering, adding mild sweetness and body to the salsa.
Papaya
Adds sweetness and soft, fruity texture as it cooks down.
Mango
Adds sweetness, fruity aroma and a softer, jammy texture when simmered.
Vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens flavour and helps keep the salsa stable in storage.
Dijon mustard
Adds sharp, tangy flavour and a little pungency to balance the sweet fruit.

The step that matters

Lower the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. A gentle simmer softens the fruit and onions evenly and keeps the mixture from scorching on the base of the pan. A hard boil can break the fruit down too quickly and make the texture uneven.

Swap the papaya

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, onion, mango, mustard, turmeric, vinegar):

  1. Limefits better
  2. Avocadofits better
  3. Lemonfits better
  4. Papayathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, onion, mango, mustard, turmeric, vinegar. 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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