Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Custard Melkkos
Ingredients
Directions
Soak and cook the sago
Soak the sago in the milk for about an hour.
Gradually bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat in a heavy-based saucepan.
Stir frequently to prevent burning and simmer until the sago is soft and transparent.
Make the custard
Separate the eggs.
Beat together the egg yolks, water, custard powder, and salt.
Add the custard mixture to the milk mixture and simmer until thick, stirring often.
Add the butter or margarine.
Fold in the whites and serve
Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry.
Stir a little of the stiffly beaten egg white into the hot melkkos until mixed. Lightly fold the remaining egg white into the mixture using a metal spoon.
Pour the custard melkkos into a heat-proof serving dish. Sprinkle lavishly with cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| 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.
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sago
- Swells and softens in the milk, giving the pudding its body and chewy texture.
- Eggs
- Yolks thicken the custard and whites, folded in, add lightness to the finished dish.
- Custard powder
- Starch thickens the milk mixture so it becomes a thick, spoonable pudding.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base that the sago cooks in and that the custard sets into.
- Butter/margarine
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother, silkier mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. The whites are whipped to stiff peaks that trap air, which lifts the pudding. Folding gently with a metal spoon, and adding a little white first to loosen the mixture, keeps that air in. Stirring hard or over-beating deflates it and leaves the dish dense.
“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
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 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.