Spicy Vegetable Couscous

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. Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together8,053 recipes

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

2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together29,058 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

3. Carrot + cumintop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together777 recipes

   Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

4. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together5,082 recipes

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

5. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together34,122 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Olive oil

Carries heat into the vegetables and helps them brown in the skillet.

Couscous

Forms the bulk of the dish and absorbs the broth and flavors.

Vegetable broth

Adds moisture so the couscous softens and the spices spread through it.

Onion

Softens and turns sweet as it cooks, building the base flavor.

Garlic

Adds aroma that deepens as it cooks in the hot oil.

Carrots

Hold their shape and add mild sweetness as they cook.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, pepper, carrot, clove, garlic, cumin, parsley):

1. Eggplantfits better
2. Capsicumfits better
3. Spinachfits better
4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, pepper, carrot, clove, garlic, cumin, parsley. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.