Name: Basmati Rice with Raisins, Nuts and Peas
Ingredients: 2 cups basmati rice; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 small onions thinly sliced; 2 teaspoons cumin seeds; 12 whole black peppercorns; 8 whole cloves; 6 whole cardamom pods; 3 bay leaves; 1 stick cinnamon; 4 cups water; 1/4 cup whipping cream; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads; 1 1/2 cups frozen Peas; 1/4 cup chopped almonds; 1/4 cup chopped cashews; 1/4 cup Raisins

Why it works: Cardamom and saffron match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 342 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

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.

Cardamom + saffrontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together342 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,189 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Cardamom + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,299 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Clove + cardamomtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,114 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Cumin + cardamomtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together582 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

What each ingredient does

Basmati rice: Its long grains stay separate and fluffy when cooked in absorbed liquid.
Onions: Browning in the hot oil builds sweetness and a deep savoury base for the dish.
Whipping cream: Adds fat and richness, softening the flavour and giving the rice a silkier texture.
Saffron threads: Releases a golden colour and a distinctive floral aroma into the cooking liquid.
Frozen peas: Add sweetness and a bright colour, and are cooked briefly so they stay tender.
Cashews: Add fat, crunch and a toasty flavour when sprinkled over the cooked rice.

The step that matters

Cover and cook the rice on low with the liquid almost fully absorbed. Rice absorbs water as it steams, so the lid must trap steam while heat stays low. Too much heat scorches the bottom and leaves grains unevenly cooked, while lifting the lid lets steam escape and can leave the rice firm.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (basmati rice, cumin, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, cream, saffron):

Carrotfits better
Spinachfits better
Sweet potatofits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against basmati rice, cumin, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, cream, saffron. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Cashew	1 oz (28g / ~18 nuts)	157
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Pea	1/2 cup (72g)	62
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Almond	1 almond (1.2g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Cardamom	1 tsp ground (2g)	6
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Bay Leaf	1 leaf (0.6g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Seed	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0
Saffron	not in our table	0

Basmati Rice with Raisins, Nuts and Peas