Why it works: Onion and garlic 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 ↓
Alicha
Ingredients
Directions
Brown the base
In a dry pan over medium heat, stir-fry onions for 2 minutes.
Add the oil and stir-fry for 1 minute longer.
Add the meat and brown for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Simmer
Add all of the spices and seasonings at one time and stir well.
Add the water and bring to a boil.
Cover the pan and cook over moderate heat for about 45 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
If the curry dries out too quickly, add another 1/2 cup of water.
At the end of the 45 minutes, there should be very little sauce.
Serve
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 11 ingredients. The other 4 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Corn Oil | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Meat | not in our table | 0 |
| Seed | not in our table | 0 |
| Caraway | not in our table | 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.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Garlic + mustardtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together4,053 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,259 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mustard + carawaytop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together72 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Corn + mustardtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together463 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef, lamb or goat
- Provides the main protein, which becomes tender through long, covered simmering.
- Onions
- Soften and brown in the pan, adding sweetness and depth to the sauce.
- Corn oil
- Carries heat evenly and helps the onions and meat brown.
- Water
- Creates the cooking liquid that gently tenderizes the meat and forms the sauce.
The step that matters
Covered simmering until the meat is tender. Connective tissue in tougher cuts breaks down slowly with moist, gentle heat. Cooking too fast or with too much liquid boiling off can leave the meat tough or the sauce scorched.
Swap the caraway
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, corn, meat, garlic, mustard):
- Cuminfits better
- Capersfits better
- Thymefits better
- Carawaythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, corn, meat, garlic, mustard. 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
Corn Fritters203 recipes
Meat Croquettes52 recipes
Cream of Corn Soup50 recipes
Green Corn Soup46 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.