Name: Savoury Rice Cake
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1½ cups (360 ml ) short grain rice , cooked; 4 spring onions , finely chopped; 3 eggs , lightly beaten; ½ cup (120 ml) grated parmesan cheese; 500 g (1 lb) carrots , cauliflower , and broccoli; 1½ cups (260 ml) grated mozzarella cheese; 1½ tsp dried thyme; 1 cup (240 ml) tomato salsa , for serving

Why it works: Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,093 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Savoury Rice Cake

Serves 6

Oven200 °C (400 °F)

Time30–35 minutes

Ingredients

1½ cups (360 ml ) short grain rice , cooked
4 spring onions , finely chopped
3 eggs , lightly beaten
½ cup (120 ml) grated parmesan cheese
500 g (1 lb) carrots , cauliflower , and broccoli
1½ cups (260 ml) grated mozzarella cheese
1½ tsp dried thyme
1 cup (240 ml) tomato salsa , for serving

Directions

Prepare the rice mixture

Combine the cooked rice, spring onions, eggs, and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Press half of the rice mixture into a greased 20 cm spring-form pan.

Assemble and bake

Toss the vegetables with one cup of mozzarella cheese and place them into the pan.
Spoon the remaining rice onto the vegetables and press down firmly.
Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and thyme evenly over the top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C (400 °F) for 30–35 minutes.

Serve

Serve with tomato salsa.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

629Calories

34 gProtein

20 gFat

80 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Mozzarella Cheese	1 oz (28g)	85
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4

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.

Parmesan cheese + mozzarella cheesetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,093 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Cauliflower + broccolitop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together127 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Carrot + broccolitop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,442 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
Onion + broccolitop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,294 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Onion + carrottop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together21,601 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

Cooked short grain rice: Forms the bulk of the cake and holds its shape when pressed firmly into layers.
Eggs: Bind the rice and cheese together so the cake sets firmly when baked.
Mozzarella cheese: Melts and stretches to bind the layers together and add richness.
Parmesan cheese: Adds savory flavor and helps the rice mixture brown on the surface.

The step that matters

Press the rice layers firmly. Firm pressing removes air gaps and packs the rice so the cake holds together when cut instead of crumbling apart.

Swap the cauliflower

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, onion, egg, parmesan cheese, carrot, broccoli, mozzarella cheese):

Spinachfits better
Asparagusfits better
Tomatofits better
Cauliflowerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rice, onion, egg, parmesan cheese, carrot, broccoli, mozzarella cheese. 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.