Why it works: Orange and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,437 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Tembleque
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pudding
Put sugar, coconut milk, coconut cream, and salt into a saucepan, then cook until the sugar dissolves and the milk starts to simmer.
Mix 3 tablespoons or more of cold heavy whipping cream into the cornstarch.
Whip until all the cornstarch is diluted but still thick, creating a smooth thick paste with no lumps.
When the milk starts to simmer, add the remaining heavy whipping cream and cornstarch mixture into the saucepan.
Keep the heat on low and stir constantly until the pudding thickens.
Set and serve
Pour the mixture into pudding cups or small bowls.
Cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Flip the pudding bowls onto a plate to remove the pudding.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Coconut | 1/2 cup shredded (40g) | 283 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| 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.
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.
-
Orange + cinnamontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,437 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Coconut + ricetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,063 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Rice + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,137 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Milk + ricetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Coconut + cinnamontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together979 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Coconut milk
- Provides the main coconut flavour and creamy body of the pudding.
- Coconut cream
- Adds richness and fat, giving the pudding a fuller, silkier texture.
- Cornstarch or rice flour
- Thickens the liquid as it heats, setting the pudding into a sliceable form.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and helps it stay soft and smooth as it sets.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Adds fat and richness, softening the texture of the pudding.
The step that matters
Keep the heat low and stir constantly as the pudding thickens. Starch must be stirred while it heats to thicken evenly. High heat or stopping can scorch the bottom or leave lumps, since cornstarch gelatinises and can clump when it is not kept moving.
Swap the orange
The recipe marks orange as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coconut, milk, cream, rice, sugar, cinnamon):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Blueberryfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against coconut, milk, cream, rice, sugar, cinnamon. 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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