Name: Shrimp and Coconut Milk Curry
Ingredients: 1 large onion, chopped; 2 Tablespoons of oil; 1 red or green bell pepper, chopped; 3 cloves of garlic, smashed; 1 jalapeno (small, hot) pepper, minced; 2 Tablespoons of curry powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 1/2 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken); 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut milk; 1 1/2 pounds of cleaned shrimp; 1 cup of frozen green peas; 2 Tablespoons of lime juice; 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch; 1/3 cup of chopped fresh cilantro; salt and black pepper to taste

Why it works: Cumin and coriander match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,866 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

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.

Cumin + coriandertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,866 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Jalapeno + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together688 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Jalapeno + coriandertop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,363 recipes

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

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Shrimp: Provides the main protein, which cooks quickly and turns firm and opaque in the hot curry.
Curry powder: Supplies the warm, toasted spice flavor that defines the dish.
Coconut milk: Adds fat and richness, giving the sauce a creamy, smooth body.
Broth: Forms the liquid base of the sauce and carries the spices through the curry.
Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce when heated with the liquid, giving it a glossy, cohesive texture.
Onion: Softens and sweetens as it cooks, building the savory base of the curry.

The step that matters

Thickening with cornstarch. Cornstarch must be stirred constantly while the sauce comes to a simmer, otherwise it clumps and the sauce thickens unevenly. Once it gelatinises, it thickens quickly and should be cooked briefly, not boiled hard for long.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, pepper, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, coriander, chicken):

Turmericfits better
Oreganofits better
Thymefits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, pepper, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, coriander, chicken. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Coconut	1/2 cup shredded (40g)	283
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Vegetable	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Pea	1/2 cup (72g)	62
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Turmeric	1 tsp ground (3g)	9
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Coriander	not in our table	0

Shrimp and Coconut Milk Curry