Why it works: Water chestnut and flour share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 84 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Red Bean Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the batter
Dissolve sugar in hot water.
Mix water chestnut flour and corn flour in a plain square container.
Add evaporated milk and coconut milk, then mix well.
Make the paste
Pour in the boiling sugar water and stir well until a paste forms.
Add the red beans and stir again until evenly distributed.
Chill and serve
Chill in the refrigerator while the paste cools.
Cut into small square pieces and serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 8 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Coconut | 1/2 cup shredded (40g) | 283 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Water Chestnut | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Red Bean | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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.
-
Water chestnut + flourtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together84 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Corn + coconuttop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together306 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Water chestnut + coconuttop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Coconut + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,648 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Corn + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Water chestnut flour
- Provides starch that thickens and sets the paste as it cools.
- Corn flour
- Adds starch that thickens the paste and gives it a firm body.
- Coconut milk
- Adds fat and richness, giving the pudding a creamy mouthfeel.
- Evaporated milk
- Adds milk solids that make the pudding creamier and softer.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and helps it hold a smooth texture.
- Canned red bean
- Adds flavour and bite as the main visible ingredient.
The step that matters
Stirring the boiling sugar water into the flour mixture. Starch thickens when heated in liquid. Pouring in the boiling sugar water and stirring well keeps the flours from clumping, so the paste sets smooth.
Swap the water chestnut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, corn, evaporated milk, coconut, milk, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Cherryfits better
- Bananafits better
- Water chestnutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, corn, evaporated milk, coconut, milk, sugar. 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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