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 ↓
Oblong Potato Dumplings
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Boil the potatoes and mash them.
Shape
Add the ingredients and enough flour to stiffen.
Roll with hands into oblong parts, 3 inches long.
Cook and serve
Place these in a spider of heated butter and then brown.
Just before serving, scramble eggs over them.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| 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.
-
Rice + potatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together851 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
-
Cheese + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,130 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).
-
Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together22,662 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
-
Rice + cheesetop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together942 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
- Potatoes
- Form the bulk of the dumplings, giving body and a soft, starchy texture once mashed.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas as it reacts, helping the dumplings rise and lighten.
- Eggs
- Scrambled over the dumplings at the end, adding richness and a soft, set topping.
- Cold boiled rice
- Adds starch and bulk that helps the mixture hold together.
- Cheese
- Adds savory flavor and some fat to the dumplings.
The step that matters
Browning in the spider of heated butter. The fat must be properly hot so the outside browns and sets quickly. This creates a crisp, flavorful crust through browning reactions, and keeps the soft dumplings from breaking apart.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, cheese, bread, egg):
- Asparagusfits better
- Tomatofits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Potatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, cheese, bread, 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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