Why it works: Sesame and sweetcorn work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and 13 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, which smells clove, smoky. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 2Ingredients
Contains: egg, wheat, soy, fish, sesame (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Finely grate the garlic clove and the ginger. Mix them with the dark soy sauce and honey, then coat the tuna steaks in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Mix the black and white sesame seeds on a plate. Remove the tuna from the marinade, shaking off the excess, and press each steak into the seeds to coat.
Heat 1 tablespoon groundnut oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sear the tuna for about 1 to 2 minutes per side until the flesh is opaque and reaches 145°F (63°C). Rest for 2 minutes, then slice.
Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water for about 4 minutes, or as the packet directs. Drain, rinse under cold water, and toss with 1 tablespoon sesame oil.
Thinly slice the second garlic clove, finely chop the red chilli, slice the bok choi, and cut the spring onions into 2.5cm (1in) pieces.
Heat 1 tablespoon groundnut oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry the garlic, chilli, mangetout and baby sweetcorn for 2 minutes, then add the bok choi and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the noodles, soy sauce, spring onions and remaining sesame oil to the wok. Toss for 2 minutes until heated through.
Divide the noodle stir fry between two bowls and top with the sliced tuna. Scatter over the coriander and serve with a lime wedge to squeeze over.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Sesame + sweetcorntop 11% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together13 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).
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Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together29,030 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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Ginger + sesametop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,531 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
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Sesame + oniontop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,192 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Garlic + gingertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together6,402 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the garlic
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, ginger, honey, sesame, egg, sweetcorn, onion):
- Garlicthe original
- Turmericabout as good a flavor fit
- Corianderabout as good a flavor fit
Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, ginger, honey, sesame, egg, sweetcorn, onion. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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