Name: Crispy Noodle Salad with Sweet and Sour Dressing
Ingredients: 6 cups mixed baby greens, 1 sack; 1 cup fresh bean spouts; 1 cup shredded carrot, available in produce department; 3 radishes, sliced; 2 scallions, chopped; 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips; 2 cups fried noodles, any size, available in bulk bins or on Asian foods; aisle of market; 2 tablespoons sweet plum sauce or duck sauce; 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, cider or white vinegar may be substituted; 1/3 cup light oil, peanut, canola or vegetable oil -- eyeball the amount; Salt and pepper

Why it works: Carrot and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,555 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. 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.

Carrot + peppertop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,555 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Carrot + peanuttop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together354 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Pepper + plumtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,052 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Carrot + radishtop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together125 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
Carrot + plumtop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together214 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

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

What each ingredient does

Mixed baby greens: Forms the leafy base that carries the dressing and other vegetables.
Fried noodles: Add crunch that stays crisp when served with the dressed greens as garnish.
Plum sauce or duck sauce: Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
Rice wine vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and cuts the richness of the oil.
Oil: Carries flavor and gives the dressing a smooth, coating body when whisked in.

Swap the radish

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (carrot, pepper, plum, rice wine, peanut):

Capsicumfits better
Tomatofits better
Spinachfits better
Radishthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against carrot, pepper, plum, rice wine, peanut. 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
Duck	100g cooked with skin	337
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Peanut	1 oz (28g)	161
Canola	1 tbsp (14g)	124
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Plum	1 medium (66g)	30
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Wine	2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)	25
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Bean	not in our table	0
Sauce	not in our table	0
Cider	not in our table	0

Crispy Noodle Salad with Sweet and Sour Dressing