Why it works: Cumin and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,216 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Mojo Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Combine garlic, onion, cumin, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
Make the sauce
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat.
Add the onion mixture and cook, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the orange juice, lime juice, and vinegar and cook another 5 minutes for the flavours to blend.
Cool to room temperature.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Orange Juice | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Cumin + limetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,216 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,082 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together25,665 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Clove + cumintop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,306 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Garlic
- Provides the pungent, aromatic backbone that mellows as it cooks in the oil.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Carries the aromatics and gives the sauce its rich body and fat.
- Fresh orange juice
- Supplies the main sweet-tart liquid base that gives the sauce its citrus character.
- Fresh lime juice
- Adds sharp acidity that brightens the sweetness of the orange juice.
- White wine vinegar
- Adds extra acidity that rounds out and sharpens the citrus flavours.
The step that matters
Cook the onion mixture until softened. Cooking over low heat softens the onion and garlic gently in the oil, mellowing their raw sharpness. If the heat is too high, the garlic can brown and turn bitter, and the sauce will taste harsh.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clove, garlic, onion, cumin, olive, lime, white wine):
- Avocadofits better
- Lemonfits better
- Mangofits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against clove, garlic, onion, cumin, olive, lime, white wine. 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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