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 ↓
Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sauce
Brown the flour a little in a skillet.
Saute the onion in oil in another saucepan until transparent.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add the flour to the mixture and stir well for 1 minute.
Add the Cayenne powder and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
Add water and extra water to thin if necessary.
Puree the tomatoes with the salt.
Add the tomato mixture or tomato sauce, if desired.
Simmer for at least 10 minutes, or while you prepare the other ingredients for enchiladas.
Store
Keep in refrigerator for 1 week or may be frozen.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| 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.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Clove + garlictop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,368 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Clove + tomatotop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,474 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Browned and cooked into the oil, it thickens the sauce and gives it body.
- Cayenne powder
- Provides the main chili heat and pungent flavor of the sauce.
- Oil
- Carries the onion and garlic and conducts heat for even sauteing.
- Tomatoes
- Add acidity, body and fresh tomato flavor to the sauce.
- Onion
- Sweetens and builds savory flavor as it softens in the oil.
The step that matters
Cooking the flour and chili powder. Flour thickens only once its starch is hydrated, and chili powder can scorch quickly in hot fat, turning the sauce bitter. Stir constantly over moderate heat and add the water promptly to stop the browning.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, garlic, flour, tomato, sauce):
- Jalapenofits better
- Capersfits better
- Cuminfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, garlic, flour, tomato, sauce. 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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