Name: Chickpea Moi Moi
Ingredients: 1½ cups dry chickpeas; ½ cup warm water; 1 onion , chopped; 2 fresh chiles; 2 tablespoon ground crayfish; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoon vegetable oil; 2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Why it works: Chickpea and nutmeg share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 20 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Chickpea Moi Moi

Time40 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Soak the chickpeas for 3 hours.
Drain and peel the chickpeas.

Make the batter

Blend the peeled chickpeas with chopped onions, chiles, and crayfish with warm water. Work in batches if needed.
Transfer the purée to a bowl.
Mix in the salt, oil, and nutmeg.

Steam and serve

Divide the mixture into molds.
Place the molds in a steamer over boiling water.
Steam for 40 minutes.
Remove from the steamer and unmold.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

309Calories

9 gProtein

16 gFat

34 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
Chickpea	1/2 cup canned (120g) drained	134
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0
Crayfish	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 Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

Chickpea + nutmegtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together20 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Chickpea + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together860 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Onion + nutmegtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,371 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Crayfish + nutmegtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together87 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Onion + crayfishtop 19% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together213 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Dry chickpeas: Form the main body of the moi moi, setting into a firm, sliceable texture when steamed.
Onion: Adds moisture and savory sweetness to the purée as it cooks.
Vegetable oil: Adds fat, giving the moi moi a softer, moister crumb.
Ground crayfish: Adds a concentrated savory, umami flavor to the batter.

The step that matters

Blending the chickpeas with water. The purée needs to be smooth and evenly textured, because lumps or uneven moisture leave a grainy result after steaming. Working in batches keeps the blender from overheating and stalling, which helps produce a uniform batter.