Name: Spicy Oriental Butter
Ingredients: ½ cup butter softened; ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro; ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds; 1 teaspoon soy sauce; ½ teaspoon five spice powder; ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Why it works: Sesame and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,343 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓

Spicy Oriental Butter

Ingredients

½ cup butter softened
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon five spice powder
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

120Calories

1 gProtein

12 gFat

2 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Cilantro	1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)	1
Toasted Sesame Seed	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.

Sesame + peppertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,343 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Butter + saucetop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together15,338 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sesame + saucetop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together924 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Butter + sesametop 20% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together426 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together85,593 recipes

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

Butter and sauce barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 15,338 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Butter: Provides fat and creamy body, carrying the flavours of the other ingredients.
Sesame seeds: Add a toasted, nutty aroma and some texture to the butter.
Soy sauce: Adds salty, savoury depth that rounds out the spices.
Red pepper flakes: Supply heat, giving the butter its spicy kick.