Why it works: Tomato and corn match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,099 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Tomato Fritters
Ingredients
Directions
Make the tomato base
Cook the first four ingredients for twenty minutes.
Rub the cooked mixture through a sieve, leaving out the seeds.
Season the sieved mixture with salt and pepper.
Make the batter
Melt the butter, and when the butter is bubbling, add the corn-starch and tomatoes gradually.
Cook for two minutes.
Add the slightly beaten egg.
Pour the batter into a buttered shallow tin and cool.
Cut, coat and fry
Turn the tin onto a board, then cut the cooled batter into squares, diamonds, or strips.
Roll the pieces in crumbs, then egg, then crumbs again.
Fry the rolled pieces in deep fat and drain.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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Tomato + corntop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,099 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + clovetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,474 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Clove + corntop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together712 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Clove + oniontop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,901 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Provide the main liquid and a sharp tomato flavour for the batter.
- Corn-starch
- Thickens the batter and sets as it cools, so the pieces hold their shape.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and sets it further, helping the coating stay on when fried.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavour, and helps the batter cook smoothly.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
The step that matters
Cool the batter fully before cutting. Starch thickens and egg sets as the batter cools. If it is cut while still soft, the pieces will break or lose their shape in the hot fat.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, sugar, onion, butter, corn, egg):
- Garlicfits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Cuminfits better
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, sugar, onion, butter, corn, 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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