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Coclo

A stew of ground beef meatballs simmered with onion, cilantro, and water.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Garlic and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 25,665 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Coclo

Time2 hours or a bit more

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Mix beef, rice, garlic, egg, salt, bay leaf, mace, pepper, thyme, and olive oil together well.

  2. Shape into 2 large meatballs.

Simmer

  1. Put onion, cilantro, and water in a pan.

  2. Add meatballs.

  3. Cover pan and simmer over low heat for 2 hours or a bit more.

  4. Remove and discard cilantro.

Serve

  1. Serve with rice or couscous.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

714Calories
38 gProtein
35 gFat
60 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 13 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Macenot in our table0
Waternot 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. Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  2. Pepper + thymetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,585 recipes

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

  3. Thyme + olivetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,948 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (apple, fatty).

  4. Garlic + thymetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,608 recipes

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

  5. Rice + olivetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,994 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Ground beef
Forms the main body of the meatballs and provides savory, meaty flavor.
Rice
Absorbs moisture and adds body and light texture inside the meatballs.
Egg
Binds the mixture so the meatballs hold their shape during simmering.
Onion
Builds a sweet, aromatic base for the cooking liquid as it softens.

The step that matters

Simmer covered over low heat. Gentle, covered simmering cooks the meat through while keeping it tender and moist. Higher heat can toughen the meat and reduce the liquid too quickly, and the rice needs steady moisture to cook.

Swap the mace

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, rice, garlic, egg, pepper, thyme, olive):

  1. Parsleyfits better
  2. Rosemaryfits better
  3. Marjoramfits better
  4. Macethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, rice, garlic, egg, pepper, thyme, olive. 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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