Why it works: Rice and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,433 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Fried Mashed Plantains with Stewed Beans
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the batter
Soak ground rice in water and let stand for 15 minutes.
Mash plantains in a large mixing bowl till smooth and stir in ground rice and flour.
Add salt, cayenne pepper, and onions; beat well.
Set aside for 30 to 40 minutes to season.
Fry and serve
Grease skillet and fry spoonfuls of mixture (as for pancakes).
Cook until golden-brown on both sides, and serve warm with Aboboi.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Plantain | 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.
-
Rice + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Rice + peppertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,379 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Rice + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,611 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Onion + flourtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together32,460 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Overripe plantains
- Provide the main body, natural sweetness and soft texture of the fritters.
- Ground rice
- Adds starch that helps the fritters hold together and crisp at the edges.
- Flour
- Helps bind the mixture so the spoonfuls keep their shape while frying.
- Grated onions
- Add savoury aroma and flavour to the mashed plantain mixture.
- Cooking oil or palm oil
- Conducts heat to fry the spoonfuls and drives browning on the surface.
The step that matters
Frying the spoonfuls. The oil must be hot enough to brown the outside quickly. If it is too cool, the fritters absorb excess oil and stay heavy and greasy inside.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, pepper, flour):
- Okrafits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Arrowrootfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, pepper, flour. 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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