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 ↓
Pork Chops and Rice
Ingredients
Directions
Brown the chops
Salt and pepper the chops and brown them in a small amount of oil.
Remove the chops from the pan and drain all grease.
Simmer with the rice
Pour the soup into the pan and add water, onion powder, and garlic powder to taste.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Add the pork chops back to the pan and cover.
Simmer for about an hour.
Use a fork to lift the chops and add the rice underneath them.
Continue to simmer until all liquid is absorbed by the rice.
Add more water as needed to prevent the dish from drying out before the rice is done.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 100g cooked | 242 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Soup | 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).
-
Pepper + garlictop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,090 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Onion + ricetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,433 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Pork + oniontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,214 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pork + ricetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,137 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Pork chops
- Provide the main protein, which browns first and then becomes tender during the long simmer.
- French onion soup
- Supplies the liquid and savory, sweet onion flavor that the rice absorbs.
- Raw rice
- Absorbs the cooking liquid and softens, becoming the starchy base of the dish.
The step that matters
Adding the rice under the chops. Rice needs enough liquid to cook through, and it absorbs liquid as it simmers. If the liquid runs low before the rice is tender, the dish dries out, so check and add water as needed.
Swap the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, pepper, onion, rice):
- Garlicthe original
- Thymefits about as well
- Turmericfits about as well
- Celeryfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, pepper, onion, rice. 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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