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Jocon

A Guatemalan pork stew with tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, and a corn masa sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Pepper and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Jocon

Time30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the pork

  1. Cut pork into 8 equal pieces.

  2. Cook pork in 3 cups water with salt over medium heat for about 30 minutes; remove excess liquid.

Make the sauce

  1. Heat skillet until very hot.

  2. Add 3 tbsp butter. When butter melts, add 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped, 1/4 lb tomatillos, husked and chopped, and 2 garlic cloves, chopped; fry 2 minutes.

  3. Add 2 cups water or chicken broth, 2 whole cloves, and 5 black peppercorns; cook 5 minutes.

  4. Remove from heat and blend in blender with 2 green onions, 1 green bell pepper cut into chunks, and 1 bunch parsley. Add more water or broth if needed for blending.

  5. Add this mixture to pork and cook 5 minutes.

Thicken and finish

  1. Dilute 1/4 cup corn masa (not instant masa flour) with 3/4 cup water and add some of the masa liquid to sauce; cook 5 minutes more.

  2. Sauce should be medium thickness. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1152Calories
78 gProtein
32 gFat
136 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 13 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Pork100g cooked242
Chicken100g cooked165
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
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. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

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

  2. Pork + chickentop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,417 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

  3. Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Clove + parsleytop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,768 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  5. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Pork loin
Provides the main protein, which becomes tender as it simmers in the sauce.
Tomatillos
Add tart acidity and body that brighten the sauce.
Roma tomatoes
Add moisture and savory sweetness as they soften and break down.
Corn masa
Thickens the sauce as its starch gelatinizes with heat.
Butter
Adds fat and richness and carries flavor when the vegetables are fried.
Green bell pepper
Adds fresh, grassy aroma and a light vegetal flavor to the sauce.

The step that matters

Adding the masa liquid. Corn masa thickens through starch gelatinization only when heated, and lumps form if it is added undiluted. Diluting it first and cooking for several minutes lets the starch disperse and thicken evenly.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, butter, tomato, chicken, onion, pepper, parsley):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Garlicfits better
  3. Celeryfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, butter, tomato, chicken, onion, pepper, parsley. 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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