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Filfel Chuma

A spicy tomato sauce made with garlic, hot peppers, tomatoes, cumin, paprika, and lemon juice.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Cumin and coriander match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,866 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Filfel Chuma

Time20–25 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the sauce

  1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

  2. Add the minced garlic and finely chopped chili peppers, then sauté for a minute until fragrant.

  3. Add the chopped tomatoes to the saucepan and stir well.

  4. Sprinkle the ground cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt, and pepper over the tomatoes, then mix the spices into the sauce.

  5. Stir in the tomato paste.

  6. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for about 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens.

Blend and finish

  1. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the sauce cool slightly.

  2. Transfer the sauce to a blender or use an immersion blender, then puree the mixture until smooth.

  3. Stir in the fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors.

  4. Taste and adjust the seasoning according to your preference.

  5. Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

200Calories
3 gProtein
16 gFat
18 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 14 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Cayenne1 tsp (1.8g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Coriandernot in our table0

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.

  1. Cumin + coriandertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,866 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Coriander + lemontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,498 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Tomato + coriandertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,967 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

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

What each ingredient does

Tomatoes
Break down into the body and moisture of the sauce as they simmer.
Tomato paste
Adds concentrated tomato flavor and deeper color, thickening the sauce.
Garlic
Provides pungent aroma that mellows and sweetens as it cooks gently in oil.
Hot chile peppers
Supply heat and fresh pepper flavor to the sauce.
Olive oil
Carries the aromatics and spices, helping release their fat-soluble flavors.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that brightens the flavors of the finished sauce.

The step that matters

Simmer until the sauce thickens. Simmering on low lets water evaporate and the tomatoes break down, concentrating flavor and body. Stopping too early leaves a thin, watery sauce, while overcooking can dull the fresh tomato taste.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, garlic, pepper, tomato, cumin, coriander, lemon):

  1. Oreganofits better
  2. Basilfits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, garlic, pepper, tomato, cumin, coriander, lemon. 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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