Skip to main content
Main

Vegetarian Moussaka I

A baked layered dish of marrow, rice, carrots, potatoes, peas, corn, topped with a yogurt and milk custard.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 18 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Carrot and dill match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 321 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Vegetarian Moussaka I

Timeabout 30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the filling

  1. Fry the finely chopped onions and carrots in a big baking tray with a bit of oil.

  2. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes.

  3. Add the finely cut marrow vegetables, potatoes, peas, and corn.

  4. Fry on a weak fire (low temperature) for 10 more minutes.

  5. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, a pinch of curry, a pinch of black pepper, the butter, and the finely cut dill.

  6. Add 2 tea cups of water and leave in the oven.

Bake

  1. Bake for about 30 minutes and then pour over the ready top layer mixture.

  2. Bake until the top turns into a tender pinkish colour.

Make the topping

  1. Melt the butter, add the flour and stir until you have a homogeneous mixture.

  2. Add the fresh milk with a pinch of salt and stir constantly until it boils.

  3. Take away from the fire and bind with the yogurt and the egg.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1589Calories
62 gProtein
43 gFat
242 gCarbs

Counts 15 of 16 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 15 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Peas1/2 cup (72g)62
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Toppingnot 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. Carrot + dilltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together321 recipes

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

  2. Potato + dilltop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together423 recipes

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

  3. Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,023 recipes

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

  4. Carrot + potatotop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,107 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).

  5. Pepper + dilltop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,630 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

Rice
Absorbs liquid and cooks into a soft, starchy body that holds the filling together.
Potatoes
Add starchy bulk that becomes tender and gives the filling a hearty texture.
Flour
Thickens the butter and milk into a smooth sauce as its starch swells when heated.
Milk
Forms the liquid base of the topping, giving a creamy, pourable sauce.
Egg
Sets when baked, binding the topping and helping it firm into a sliceable layer.
Yogurt
Adds moisture and mild tang that keeps the topping rich and soft.

The step that matters

Remove the topping from the heat before adding the yogurt and egg. Egg proteins set and can scramble when very hot, and yogurt can split under high heat. Letting the sauce cool slightly before stirring them in keeps the topping smooth and creamy.

Swap the peas

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, carrot, potato, corn, pepper, onion, dill):

  1. Beansfits better
  2. Chickpeafits better
  3. Sesamefits better
  4. Peasthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, carrot, potato, corn, pepper, onion, dill. 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.

You might also like

Potato CroquettesPotato Croquettes255 recipesGreen PeasGreen Peas229 recipesCorn FrittersCorn Fritters203 recipesCarrot SoupCarrot Soup134 recipes