Why it works: Onion and garlic 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 ↓
Spanish Rice and Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over low heat.
Add onion, green pepper, and garlic.
Cook until tender, but not brown, about 5 minutes.
Stir in undrained tomatoes, rice, sugar, chili powder, pepper, hot pepper sauce (optional), water, and ham.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| 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 |
| Chili | 1 tsp (2.7g) | 8 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Sauce | not in our table | 0 |
| 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.
-
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,076 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Tomato + ricetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,065 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Raw rice
- Absorbs the tomato liquid and water as it cooks, becoming tender and giving the dish its body.
- Canned tomatoes
- Provide the main liquid and acidity, flavouring the rice as it simmers.
- Cubed ham
- Adds savoury, salty flavour and meaty texture throughout the dish.
- Onion
- Softens and sweetens as it cooks, forming the aromatic base of the dish.
The step that matters
Cook the onion, pepper and garlic until tender but not brown. Cooking over low heat softens the vegetables and builds a mild sweetness. Browning them would add bitter, toasted flavours that clash with the tomato base and change the dish's intended taste.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, pepper, garlic, tomato, rice, sugar, sauce):
- Cuminfits better
- Corianderfits better
- Oreganofits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, pepper, garlic, tomato, rice, sugar, 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.
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