Why it works: Beans and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,080 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
The Crazy Haole's Vegetarian Taquito
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Place refried beans, spaghetti sauce, and hot chili sauce into a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir together well.
Cut flour tortillas into approximately 3-by-4-inch squares (cut down the middle and then square up so you get two squares per tortilla).
Place about one tablespoon of the mixture along the long side of each tortilla square, then roll up and seal.
Fry and serve
Place oil (about 1/4 inch deep) in the bottom of a skillet and add salt.
Heat the oil until it is fairly hot (deep-fry temperature) so that it is ready to fry.
Test by frying one taquito first; it should not burn quickly but should turn brown within a few minutes.
When the oil is ready, place the rolled tortilla squares in the skillet.
Fry for a few minutes, then turn when the bottom side is browned.
Remove carefully from the pan and repeat until all are cooked.
Serve hot with sour cream, salsa, or other toppings and dips to suit.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 7 ingredients. The other 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Tortilla | 1 medium flour (45g) | 140 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Bean | not in our table | 0 |
| Sauce | 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.
-
Beans + flourtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,080 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Beans + canola oiltop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together153 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Sauce + flourtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,078 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Beans + saucetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,184 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Flour + canola oiltop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,194 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Refried beans
- Provide the bulk and savory body of the filling that holds the taquito together.
- Flour tortillas
- Form the rolled outer wrapper that crisps and browns when fried.
- Canola oil
- Transfers heat to the tortillas so they brown and crisp quickly.
- Spaghetti sauce
- Adds moisture and tomato flavour to the bean filling.
The step that matters
Testing the oil temperature with one taquito. If the oil is too cool, the tortillas absorb grease and turn soggy; if too hot, they burn outside before the filling heats through. A test piece shows whether the oil is at a good frying heat before the batch goes in.
Swap the beans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, flour, canola oil):
- Cashew nutfits better
- Sesamefits better
- Almondfits better
- Beansthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, flour, canola oil. 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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