Name: Three Ginger Soup
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp olive oil; 150 g peeled and chopped onion; 3 tsp finely grated fresh ginger root, divided; 1 large carrot , peeled and chopped; 1 L fresh, unsweetened orange juice; 1 L fresh tomato juice; 1 tsp dried ginger powder; 1 tsp chopped parsley; 1 sprig thyme; 1 bay leaf; 3 tsp minced stem ginger in syrup; 1 tsp salt

Why it works: Parsley and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,057 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓

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.

Parsley + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,057 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together8,053 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Carrot + thymetop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together4,563 recipes

Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ginger + carrottop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,377 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

Onion: Softens into a sweet, aromatic base as it cooks without browning.
Carrot: Adds body and natural sweetness, thickening the purée after blending.
Orange juice: Provides sweetness and acidity that brighten the soup and balance the tomato.
Tomato juice: Forms the main liquid base and contributes savory depth and acidity.
Fresh ginger root: Supplies sharp, fresh aroma; part is cooked in and part added at the end for brightness.

The step that matters

Simmer after bringing to a boil. Simmering for the full 40 minutes lets the vegetables soften fully and the flavors meld, so the purée turns smooth and well rounded rather than raw-tasting.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, ginger, carrot, orange, tomato, parsley, thyme):

Capsicumfits better
Parsnipfits better
Eggplantfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, ginger, carrot, orange, tomato, parsley, thyme. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Bay Leaf	1 leaf (0.6g)	2
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Syrup	not in our table	0

Three Ginger Soup