Name: Meatballs with Noodles Tossed in Yogurt
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 pinch cayenne pepper; salt to taste; black pepper to taste; 2 cloves garlic crushed; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 spanish onion finely chopped; 6 large ripe plum tomatoes core -- peel, chop; 4 sun-dried tomatoes finely chopped NOODLES; 1 pound fresh fine egg noodles in Asian markets; 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt; 2 cloves garlic finely chopped; 1/2 cup fresh mint chopped * 2 pounds ground beef; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 pinch cayenne pepper; salt to taste; black pepper to taste; 2 cloves garlic crushed; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 spanish onion finely chopped; 6 large ripe plum tomatoes core -- peel, chop; 4 sun-dried tomatoes finely chopped NOODLES; 1 pound fresh fine egg noodles in Asian markets; 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt; 2 cloves garlic finely chopped

Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. 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.

Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,189 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Coriander + turmerictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,253 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Cinnamon + turmerictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,197 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Coriander + garlictop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,474 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Ground beef: Forms the meatballs and provides the main savory body of the dish.
Plum tomatoes: Break down into a moist, acidic base that carries the meatball flavor.
Plain yogurt: Adds tang and creaminess that coats the noodles and balances the spices.
Egg noodles: Provide the starchy base that soaks up the yogurt and sauce.
Spanish onion: Softens and sweetens as it cooks, building the flavor base of the sauce.

The step that matters

Cook the noodles until tender but still firm. Noodles keep softening after draining and when tossed with warm meatballs and yogurt, so pulling them while still firm prevents a mushy texture.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, pepper, clove, garlic):

Capsicumfits better
Eggplantfits better
Carrotfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, pepper, clove, garlic. 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
Beef	100g cooked	250
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Plum	1 medium (66g)	30
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Turmeric	1 tsp ground (3g)	9
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Coriander	not in our table	0
Peppermint	not in our table	0

Meatballs with Noodles Tossed in Yogurt