Name: Easy Okinawan Vegetable Chample
Ingredients: 6 oz firm tofu, lite, excess water squeezed out with a paper towel; 1½ cups sliced green beans, in 2-inch-long pieces; ½ small cabbage, chopped; ½ cup soybean sprouts; 1 pinch sea salt; ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Why it works: Cabbage and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,081 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Easy Okinawan Vegetable Chample

serves 4

Ingredients

6 oz firm tofu, lite, excess water squeezed out with a paper towel
1½ cups sliced green beans, in 2-inch-long pieces
½ small cabbage, chopped
½ cup soybean sprouts
1 pinch sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the tofu

Coat a large skillet with nonstick canola spray.
Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes and place in the skillet.
Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden.
Set aside.

Stir-fry the vegetables

Coat the same skillet with canola spray and stir-fry the green beans, cabbage, and bean sprouts.
Cook over medium heat until tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Combine and serve

Return the tofu to the skillet and toss with the vegetables.
Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
Evenly divide among 4 plates and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

168Calories

14 gProtein

6 gFat

21 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 7 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Tofu	100g firm	76
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Green Beans	1 cup (100g)	31
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0
Soybean	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.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,081 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Green beans + cabbagetop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together52 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Green beans + peppertop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together369 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Tofu + soybeantop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
Soybean + peppertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together71 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

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

What each ingredient does

Firm tofu: Provides protein-rich body, and browning in the pan gives it a golden, slightly crisp surface.
Green beans: Supply the main crisp-tender texture and fresh vegetable bulk of the stir-fry.
Cabbage: Adds sweetness and bulk as it softens and releases moisture into the pan.
Soybean sprouts: Contribute a crisp, juicy crunch that stays tender-crisp after brief cooking.

The step that matters

Drain the tofu well before frying. Excess water on the tofu surface turns to steam in the hot skillet, which prevents browning and makes the cubes soggy instead of golden.

Swap the soybean

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, green beans, cabbage, pepper):

Beansfits better
Sesamefits better
Peasfits better
Soybeanthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, green beans, cabbage, pepper. 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.

Green Peas229 recipes

Green Pea Soup181 recipes

Red Cabbage65 recipes

Stewed Cabbage58 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.

Easy Okinawan Vegetable Chample