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Maasems

A Tunisian dish of beaten eggs, chopped chicken, parsley, and cheese wrapped in egg or phyllo wrappers and fried.

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Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Maasems

Time30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the filling

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine both types of eggs, chicken, parsley, cheese, salt, and pepper.

  2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Wrap and fry

  1. Wrap the mixture in wrappers, sealing the edges with water.

  2. Fry in 1 inch of oil until crisp, turning as needed. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

494Calories
45 gProtein
32 gFat
6 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

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. Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,037 recipes

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

  2. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

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

  4. Parsley + olivetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,649 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  5. Olive + lemontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,922 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

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

What each ingredient does

Hard boiled eggs
Provide the bulk and creamy body of the filling.
Chicken breast
Supplies the main protein and substance of the filling.
Beaten eggs
Bind the filling together as they set when heated.
Parmesan cheese
Adds savory flavor and helps the filling hold together.

The step that matters

Frying until crisp. Oil that is too cool lets the wrappers absorb grease and turn soggy instead of crisp. Turning them as needed browns the wrapper evenly and heats the filling through.

“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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