Name: Corn Cakes with Tomato Jam
Yield: 3
Ingredients: 1 large egg; 80 mL (⅓ cup) milk; 125 mL (½ cup) of corn, frozen or canned; 80 mL (⅓ cup) whole wheat flour; 125 mL (½ cup) cornmeal; 10 mL (2 tsp) baking powder; ½ mL (1/8 tsp) salt; 1 mL (¼ tsp) pepper; 10 mL (2 tsp) canola oil, for pan frying; 5 mL (1 tsp) canola oil; 2 mL (½ tsp) onion powder; 2 mL (½ tsp) garlic powder; 1 mL (¼ tsp) salt; 1 mL (¼ tsp) black pepper; 2 mL (½ tsp) chipotle powder (optional); 1 large tomato (or 2 medium), diced; 15 mL (1 tbsp) maple syrup; 15 mL (1 tbsp) vinegar; 45 mL (3 tbsp) water

Why it works: Corn and wheat match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 465 recipes. Both carry hexanal, which smells green, grassy. 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.

Corn + wheattop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together465 recipes

Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
Milk + wheattop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,418 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Canola oil + oniontop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,150 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Milk + corntop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,955 recipes

Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
Corn + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,324 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

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

What each ingredient does

Egg: Binds the batter and helps set the cakes as they cook.
Cornmeal: Provides the coarse, sturdy texture and corn flavor of the cakes.
Whole wheat flour: Adds structure to the batter and a nutty, earthy flavor.
Baking powder: Releases gas in the batter so the cakes rise and turn light.
Tomato: Forms the body of the jam and provides its fresh acidity.
Maple syrup: Adds sweetness and helps the jam thicken and turn glossy as it reduces.

The step that matters

Cooking the corn cakes. Batter should be cooked in a preheated pan over medium heat. If the pan is too cool, the cakes absorb oil and stick; if too hot, the outside browns before the centre sets.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, milk, corn, wheat, flour, pepper, canola oil):

Capsicumfits better
Sweet potatofits better
Potatofits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, milk, corn, wheat, flour, pepper, canola oil. 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
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Maple Syrup	1 tbsp (20ml)	52
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

Corn Cakes with Tomato Jam