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Curried Spinach and Peanut Butter

A sautéed spinach dish flavored with curry powder and peanut butter, finished with coconut milk.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Peanut and coconut match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 433 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓

Curried Spinach and Peanut Butter

Time5 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Wash the spinach, roll leaves together and chop.

  2. Pop the tomato in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, peel and chop.

  3. Peel and chop the onion.

  4. Mix the peanut butter with the coconut milk.

Cook

  1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large frying pan.

  2. Add the onion, tomato, salt and curry powder and sauté for 5 minutes.

  3. Add the spinach, continue cooking until the spinach is cooked.

  4. Add the peanut butter and coconut milk mixture.

  5. Simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

645Calories
14 gProtein
55 gFat
32 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Coconut1/2 cup shredded (40g)283
Peanut1 oz (28g)161
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Turmeric1 tsp ground (3g)9
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

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. Peanut + coconuttop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together433 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  2. Spinach + peanuttop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together88 recipes

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

  3. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  4. Spinach + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,350 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  5. Spinach + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,336 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

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

What each ingredient does

Spinach
Forms the leafy body of the dish and wilts down as it cooks.
Peanut butter
Adds richness and body to the sauce, with a nutty flavor.
Coconut milk
Adds fat and creaminess, softening the curry flavor and thickening the sauce.
Onion
Builds a sweet, savory base as it softens in the hot oil.
Curry powder
Provides the warm, aromatic spice flavor that defines the dish.

The step that matters

Simmer with constant stirring. Peanut butter and coconut milk are rich in fat and protein-based solids that can scorch or separate on the bottom of the pan. Constant stirring during the final simmer keeps the sauce smooth and prevents sticking.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (spinach, peanut, butter, tomato, coconut, milk):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Potatofits better
  3. Sweet potatofits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against spinach, peanut, butter, tomato, coconut, milk. 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.

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