Why it works: Lima beans and okra share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 64 recipes. Both carry 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells green bell pepper, earthy. The science ↓
Okra Soup
Ingredients
Directions
In one gallon of water, cut up two double handfuls of okra.
Half an hour later, add one handful of lima beans, pieces of tender squash, and some fresh meat or a fowl boiled until well done.
One hour before serving, add five large tomatoes, or a pint of small tomatoes, peeled and sliced.
When almost done, add a lump of butter rolled in flour.
Season with salt and pepper, and do not let it become too thick.
Put it on early and let it simmer only.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Lima Bean | 1/2 cup (85g) cooked | 108 |
| Okra | 1 cup (100g) | 33 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 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.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
-
Lima beans + okratop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together64 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
-
Okra + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together727 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Lima beans + peppertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together468 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
- Okra
- Thickens the broth as it cooks and gives the soup its body.
- Lima beans
- Add starch and a creamy texture as they soften in the simmering broth.
- Tomatoes (in the method)
- Add acidity and a fresh, savory flavor that balances the okra.
- Butter rolled in flour (in the method)
- Added near the end, the flour helps thicken the broth and the butter adds richness.
The step that matters
Keep the simmer gentle and the soup from getting too thick. Okra releases starch as it cooks, so a long, vigorous boil can make the soup gluey and heavy. A low, steady simmer lets the vegetables soften while keeping the texture pleasant.
Swap the lima beans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (okra, pepper):
- Black-eyed peafits better
- Lentilsfits better
- Beansfits better
- Lima beansthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against okra, pepper. 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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