Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Chinese Beef
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Thinly slice flank steak diagonally across the grain.
Combine strips in slow cooker with consomme, soy sauce, ginger and onions.
Slow cook and thicken
Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours.
Turn the control to high.
Stir in cornstarch that has been dissolved in cold water.
Cook on high for 10-15 minutes or until thickened.
Drop in pea pods the last 5 minutes.
Serve
Serve over hot rice.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Pea | 1/2 cup (72g) | 62 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| 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.
-
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Ginger + oniontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,595 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Beef + gingertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,410 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Sauce + gingertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,409 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sauce + oniontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together10,474 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sauce and onion barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 10,474 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flank steak
- Provides the meat, which becomes tender through long, slow cooking when sliced thinly across the grain.
- Cornstarch
- Thickens the cooking liquid into a glossy sauce when heated.
- Beef consomme
- Supplies the main beef liquid that cooks the meat and flavours the sauce.
- Soy sauce
- Adds salty, savoury depth to the sauce.
- Frozen pea pods
- Add a fresh, crisp-tender texture and color near the end of cooking.
The step that matters
Stir in cornstarch that has been dissolved in cold water. Cornstarch must be fully dissolved in cold water before it goes into hot liquid, otherwise it clumps. Thickening then needs the liquid to reach a simmer so the starch granules swell and set the sauce.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, sauce, onion):
- Garlicfits better
- Capersfits better
- Celeryfits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, sauce, onion. 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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