Name: Chinese Cola Pepper Steak
Ingredients: 1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. oil; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 lb. boneless sirloin steak, or boneless top round, cut into thin strips; 2/3 cup beef stock; 2/3 cup green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips; 2/3 cup celery, thinly sliced; 2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. onions, thinly sliced; 1/2 cup cola type soda pop; 1-1/4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, cut into wedges; 1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. cornstarch; 2 tsp. soy sauce; 4 cups hot cooked rice

Why it works: Garlic and onion 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 ↓

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.

Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,076 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Celery + tomatotop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,377 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together17,451 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Pepper + celerytop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together16,012 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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

What each ingredient does

Sirloin steak: Provides the meat that becomes tender during the long, gentle simmer.
Cornstarch: Thickens the cooking liquid into a glossy sauce when heated.
Cola type soda pop: Adds sweetness and acidity that flavour and tenderise the sauce.
Ripe tomatoes: Add moisture, acidity and body to the sauce as they soften.
Celery: Adds a crisp-tender texture and fresh, vegetal flavour.
Green bell pepper: Adds crisp texture and a fresh, slightly bitter note.

The step that matters

Shake the cornstarch mixture vigorously and do not overcook the meat. Cornstarch must be fully dispersed before it hits hot liquid, or it clumps. Brief cooking after adding it thickens the sauce, while long simmering can toughen the meat and soften the vegetables.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (garlic, beef, pepper, celery, onion, tomato, sauce):

Cuminfits better
Oreganofits better
Parsleyfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against garlic, beef, pepper, celery, onion, 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Beef	100g cooked	250
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4

Chinese Cola Pepper Steak