Why it works: Vinegar and rice wine work together. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and 92 recipes mention both. Both carry 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: peanut, soy, sesame (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Marinate
In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine, lime juice and sesame oil.
Stir in onion, basil, mint, lemongrass and crushed peanuts.
Season with chile paste, coriander and garlic salt.
Layer flank steak with marinade.
Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
Grill
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium high heat, and lightly oil grate.
Spray a large sheet of aluminum foil with non‑stick cooking spray.
Drain liquid from marinade.
Layer meat on foil with the remaining non‑liquid marinade ingredients.
Fold edges of foil to seal.
Grill for 20 minutes.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Vinegar + rice winetop 9% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together92 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Lime + basiltop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together505 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Rice + sesametop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together643 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
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Sesame + oniontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,192 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Rice wine + sesametop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together244 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl pentanoate (yeast, fruit).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flank steak
- Main protein that becomes tender and flavourful as it absorbs the marinade.
- Soy sauce
- Adds salty, savoury depth and helps the meat take on flavour.
- Rice vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the marinade and helps tenderise the surface of the meat.
- Lime juice
- Adds acidity and fresh citrus flavour to the marinade.
- Chile paste
- Adds heat and spicy flavour to the marinade.
- Crushed peanuts
- Adds nutty texture and richness to the marinade and finished dish.
The step that matters
Sealing the foil packet before grilling. If the foil is not sealed tightly, juices and steam escape and the steak can dry out or cook unevenly. A tight seal traps moisture so the meat cooks gently in its own juices and marinade.
Flavor stand-ins for the basil
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, rice, vinegar, rice wine, lime, sesame, onion):
- Corianderbetter flavor fit
- Gingerbetter flavor fit
- Garlicbetter flavor fit
- Basilthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, rice, vinegar, rice wine, lime, sesame, onion. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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