Name: Malaysian Vindaloo
Ingredients: 500g pork (cut in cubes) or chicken (cut in bite-size pieces); Ingredients A:; 3 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 tsp salt; Marinate pork/chicken in ingredients A for 2 hours in the refrigerator.; Ingredients B:; 3 tbsp red wine vinegar; 2 tbsp garlic, chop fine; 2 tbsp ginger, ground; 1 tbsp paprika; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp cardomon seeds, ground; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground; 1/2 tsp turmeric powder; 1/2 tsp chili paste; 1/4 cloves, ground; oil for frying; 1 cup onion, sliced thinly; 1 cup tomato, chop coarsely; 1 cup water; 1/2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar

Why it works: Ginger and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,380 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. 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.

Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,380 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,103 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Pork + chickentop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,417 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Ginger + cumintop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,733 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

What each ingredient does

Pork: Provides the meat that becomes tender during the long simmer in the sauce.
Red wine vinegar: Adds acidity that tenderises the meat and sharpens the flavour of the spices.
Garlic: Contributes pungent aroma that deepens as the sauce simmers.
Onion: Browns in the oil to build sweetness and a savoury base for the sauce.
Tomato: Adds moisture and acidity that help form the body of the sauce.
Palm sugar or brown sugar: Balances the sharpness of the vinegar and tomato with sweetness.

The step that matters

Frying the onions and spice mixture. Onions must be lightly browned for sweetness and depth, and frying the spice paste briefly in oil releases its aroma. Undercooked onions leave the sauce harsh and flat.

Swap the cinnamon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, red wine, vinegar, chicken, garlic, ginger, cumin):

Corianderfits better
Oreganofits better
Rosemaryfits better
Cinnamonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, red wine, vinegar, chicken, garlic, ginger, cumin. 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
Pork	100g cooked	242
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Turmeric	1 tsp ground (3g)	9
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Seed	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0

Malaysian Vindaloo