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Gomen

A sautéed collard greens dish seasoned with onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, paprika, cumin, and lemon.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Turmeric and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,698 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Gomen

Time20–25 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the spice base

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

  2. Add the chopped onions to the pot and sauté until they become translucent and slightly browned.

  3. Stir in the minced garlic and grated ginger, and sauté for an additional minute until fragrant.

  4. Add the turmeric, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper (if using) to the pot. Mix well to combine the spices with the onions and garlic.

Cook the greens

  1. Add the chopped collard greens to the pot and stir to coat them with the spice mixture. Cook for a few minutes until the collard greens start to wilt.

  2. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for about 20–25 minutes, or until the collard greens are tender and fully cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

  3. Season with salt to taste and add the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix well to incorporate the flavors.

  4. Remove the pot from heat and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

  5. Serve hot as a side dish with injera or any other bread of your choice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

224Calories
4 gProtein
15 gFat
22 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Collard Greens1 cup (36g) raw11
Turmeric1 tsp ground (3g)9
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)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.

  1. Turmeric + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,698 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Ginger + turmerictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,776 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

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

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

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

What each ingredient does

Collard greens
Form the bulk of the dish and soften into tender strands during long, covered simmering.
Onion
Releases sweetness and builds a savory base as it softens and browns.
Garlic
Adds pungent aroma that mellows and sweetens with gentle cooking.
Olive oil
Carries the spices' fat-soluble aromas and coats the greens for mouthfeel.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that brightens the rich, earthy flavor of the cooked greens.

The step that matters

Simmering the greens until fully tender. Collard greens have tough fibres that need low, covered, moist heat over time to soften. Stopping early leaves them chewy and bitter, and stirring helps prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, clove, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, pepper):

  1. Eggplantfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, clove, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, pepper. 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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