Name: Orange Curry Beef with Cucumber Raita
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 small shallots, halved; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 pound lean beef, extra fat trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes; 3 tablespoons curry paste; 2 cups low sodium beef broth; 3 medium sized oranges; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; Jasmine rice, optional

Why it works: Shallot and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,000 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Orange Curry Beef with Cucumber Raita

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 small shallots, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound lean beef, extra fat trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3 tablespoons curry paste
2 cups low sodium beef broth
3 medium sized oranges
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Jasmine rice, optional

Directions

1.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots, garlic and beef and cook for 5 minutes until beef is browned on all sides.
2.In a medium bowl, combine curry paste and beef broth and stir until curry is blended. Pour into beef mixture. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
3.Take one orange and wash the outside with warm water and soap to remove any leftover germs from customer handling at the store then dry. Next, gently grate the outer peel of the orange but avoid any of the bitter white pith. Place grated peel in a small bowl. Cut the orange in half then squeeze out the juice into a separate bowl. Peel the remaining two oranges then segment them apart. Cut down the length of a segment then carefully remove the flesh from the segment skin and set aside.
4.Blend the cornstarch with the orange juice until thoroughly mixed then pour the juice and grated peel into the beef mixture 5 minutes before the 1 hour simmering time is done. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken. Stir in the orange segments, cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.
5.Combine all ingredients of the cucumber raita and place in a serving bowl.
6.Serve the beef with jasmine rice and pass the raita at the table.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1140Calories

46 gProtein

30 gFat

166 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

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
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Shallot + garlictop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,000 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Shallot + clovetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,677 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Clove + orangetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,987 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Shallot + ricetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together284 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Garlic + clovetop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together11,368 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

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

Swap the orange

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shallot, garlic, clove, beef, jasmine, rice):

Coconutfits better
Limefits better
Avocadofits about as well
Orangethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against shallot, garlic, clove, beef, jasmine, rice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.