Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Codfish Balls
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Boil together 1 coffee cup raw shredded codfish and 1 bowl raw potatoes, then mash together and beat vigorously.
Add 1 egg, butter the size of an egg, and pepper; thoroughly mix.
Fry
Roll mixture into balls.
Drop balls into hot fat and fry for three minutes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 7 of 10 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Soy Sauce | 1 tbsp (15ml) | 9 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Coffee | not in our table | 0 |
| Codfish | not in our table | 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.
-
Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,305 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Coffee + potatotop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together167 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,456 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Codfish
- Provides the salted fish flavour that defines the dish.
- Potatoes
- Add starch and bulk, giving the balls a soft, cohesive body.
- Egg
- Binds the mixture so the balls hold their shape while frying.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture to the mashed mixture.
The step that matters
Beating the mashed mixture vigorously. Vigorous beating works the starch and fish together into a smooth, evenly bound mixture. Under-mixed mash stays crumbly and can break apart when the balls hit the hot fat.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coffee, potato, egg, butter, sauce, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Spinachfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against coffee, potato, egg, butter, sauce, 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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