Why it works: Rice and potato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 851 recipes. Both carry 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which smells popcorn, roasted. The science ↓
Potato Dumplings
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash, peel, and grate 6 good sized potatoes, and drain.
Add a pinch of salt to 1 cup cooked rice.
Brown 2 tablespoons bread crumbs in a skillet with 2 tablespoons butter.
Stir in 2 eggs until cooked.
Shape and cook
Mix rice, potatoes, and fried crumbs all together with enough flour to hold them.
Make into balls, and drop into boiling water.
Cover and boil gently for 1 hour.
Serve immediately.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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.
-
Rice + potatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together851 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
-
Bread + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,232 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Rice + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,259 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
-
Butter + potatotop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Grated potato supplies the bulk and starch that bind the dumpling mass.
- Eggs
- Egg proteins set when cooked, helping hold the dumplings together.
- Flour (in the method)
- Flour absorbs moisture and helps the mixture hold its shape in water.
- Cooked rice
- Cooked rice adds body and a soft, tender texture to the dumplings.
The step that matters
Mixing with flour. Too little flour leaves the balls fragile and likely to break apart in the water, while too much makes them dense and heavy. Add flour gradually until the mixture just holds its shape.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, bread, butter, egg):
- Asparagusfits better
- Leekfits about as well
- Potatothe original
- Chivefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, bread, butter, egg. 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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