Bulgogi

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.

1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together29,058 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

2. Onion + sesametop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,192 recipes

   Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

3. Beef + mushroomtop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,232 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

4. Sesame + garlictop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,000 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

5. Mushroom + garlictop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,700 recipes

   Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

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

What each ingredient does

Beef

Provides the main protein; thin slices cook quickly and soak up the marinade.

Soy sauce

Supplies salt and savory depth that seasons the beef throughout the marinade.

Sugar

Adds sweetness and helps the meat brown and caramelize on the grill.

Sesame oil

Carries fat-soluble aroma and adds a nutty flavor to the marinade.

Garlic

Adds pungent aroma that deepens the savory flavor of the marinade.

Mirin

Adds mild sweetness and gloss, and helps the beef brown on the grill.

The step that matters

Swap the onion

The recipe marks onion as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, mushroom, sauce, sugar, sesame, pepper, garlic):

1. Capsicumfits better
2. Spinachfits better
3. Welsh onionfits about as well
4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, mushroom, sauce, sugar, sesame, pepper, garlic. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.