Why it works: Leek and rice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 161 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓
Goddess Grilled Portabella Leek Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the vegetables
Cut the root ends off of leeks and cut them into long strips.
Put leeks and sliced mushrooms in a large mixing bowl with 1 cup of the Grill Goddess sauce. Marinate for a few minutes.
Cook the vegetables
If you have a grill, grill the mushrooms on medium heat and flip and baste occasionally until soft.
Grill the leeks on low and keep them constantly moving to prevent burning.
If you don't have a grill, you can cook the mushrooms and leeks on a baking sheet in an oven at about 400 degrees.
After the leeks are grilled, chop them up.
Make the soup
In a soup pot, combine portobello mushrooms, leeks, remaining sauce and stock.
Bring to a boil, add rice and simmer for 30 minutes.
Mix cornstarch slurry into soup. Stir for a minute and serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 6 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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.
-
Leek + ricetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together161 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
-
Mushroom + ricetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,515 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Leek + mushroomtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl butyrate (apple, fruity).
-
Mushroom + saucetop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,480 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sauce + ricetop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,396 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Portabella mushroom caps
- Provide meaty body and savory flavor as they soften and brown on the grill or in the oven.
- Leeks
- Add a mild, sweet onion-like flavor that deepens when grilled or roasted.
- Vegetable stock
- Forms the liquid base of the soup and carries the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Cooked brown rice
- Adds body and a chewy texture to the soup.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the simmering stock into a smoother, heavier soup when added as a slurry.
The step that matters
Adding the cornstarch slurry. Cornstarch must be dissolved in cold water first and stirred into hot liquid, then kept at a simmer briefly, so it thickens evenly without clumping.
Swap the leek
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mushroom, sauce, rice):
- Shallotfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Leekthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against mushroom, sauce, rice. 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.
You might also like
Rice Fritters84 recipes
Mushroom Soup60 recipes
Steamed Rice48 recipes
Leek Soup31 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.