Why it works: Garlic and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the eggplant
Cook unpeeled eggplant until it is charred on the outside and the flesh is thoroughly soft.
Cool slightly and then peel.
Wipe clean and squeeze out all the water.
Make the salad
Place eggplant in a bowl with the lemon juice and salt. Mash well.
Add olive oil, garlic and vinegar, blend thoroughly.
Serve on a plate garnished with tomato, onion and olives.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Eggplant | 1 cup cubed (82g) | 35 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,539 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Eggplant + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together801 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Eggplant + olivetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together943 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggplant
- Forms the soft, creamy body of the salad once cooked and mashed.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Adds richness and moisture, giving the mash a smooth, silky texture.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the oil.
- Garlic
- Contributes pungent aroma and sharpness to the mashed eggplant.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity and fresh citrus brightness to the eggplant.
The step that matters
Squeeze out all the water. Eggplant holds a lot of water, and leftover moisture would dilute the dressing and make the salad watery. Removing it lets the oil and vinegar blend into a thick, cohesive mash.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (eggplant, olive, garlic, vinegar, tomato, onion):
- Avocadofits better
- Limefits better
- Cherryfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against eggplant, olive, garlic, vinegar, tomato, onion. 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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