Name: Meat and Potatoes in Broth
Ingredients: 200 g (7.1 oz ) sliced beef; 4 small potatoes (red potatoes recommended); 1 white onion , sliced; 1½ cups water; 2 tbsp mirin; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 slice of ginger; 100 g (3.53 oz) shirataki noodles

Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Meat and Potatoes in Broth

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces, then set them aside to soak in cold water.

Cook

Combine mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and beef in a saucepan and boil lightly for 2–3 minutes.
Remove the beef from the pan.
Add the potatoes, sliced onion, and water, then bring to a boil.
Simmer uncovered until the broth reduces to about ⅓ by volume.
Return the beef to the pan, add the shirataki noodles, and simmer for roughly 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

515Calories

32 gProtein

15 gFat

61 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Water	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.

Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,092 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Beef + potatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,052 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Onion + gingertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,595 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + gingertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together992 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Beef: Provides savory meaty flavour that seasons the broth as it simmers.
Potatoes: Soak up the seasoned broth and become tender, adding body to the dish.
Soy sauce: Adds salty, savory depth that defines the broth's flavour.
Mirin: Adds sweetness and a mild aroma that rounds out the seasoning.
Sugar: Balances the salty soy sauce and mirin with sweetness.

The step that matters

Simmer uncovered until the broth reduces to about ⅓ by volume. Evaporation concentrates the soy, mirin and sugar, so the seasoning intensifies. Stopping too early leaves the broth weak and watery; reducing too far makes it overly salty and sweet.