Why it works: Rice and olive match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,994 recipes. Both carry trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Rice with Olives
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Place the olives in a bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside.
Cook the rice
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook over a medium heat, stirring for 5 minutes.
Add the rice, mix well to coat the rice with oil.
Add the water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain the olives then add to the rice, mix well and cook for a further 8-10 minutes or until the rice is tender, adding more water if necessary.
Serve
Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
To serve – season with freshly ground black pepper and serve at room temperature.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Olive | 1 large (4g) | 4 |
| Water | 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 + olivetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together4,994 recipes
Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
-
Onion + olivetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,779 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Onion + ricetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,263 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Absorbs the water and cooks into the tender, fluffy body of the dish.
- Vegetable oil
- Coats the grains so they stay separate and carries flavour from the onion.
- Onion
- Softens as it cooks, adding savoury sweetness to the base of the rice.
- Olives
- Add salty, briny flavour that seasons the rice from within.
The step that matters
Adding the water and simmering. Rice needs enough liquid to cook through, but too much makes it soggy. Keeping the lid on while simmering traps steam so the grains cook evenly, and adding water only when needed keeps the texture right.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, olive, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Spinachfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, olive, pepper. 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
Rice Fritters84 recipes
Steamed Rice48 recipes
Rice Griddle Cakes28 recipes
Rice and Cheese Casserole23 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.