Why it works: Onion and potato 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 ↓
Rice Soup
Ingredients
Directions
In a large pot, combine the meat, onion, rice, potatoes, and celery.
Cook slowly, ensuring the soup does not become too thick.
One hour before serving, add salt and pepper to taste.
If desired, strain the soup through a colander.
Just before serving, mix in the beaten egg yolk thoroughly.
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.
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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Onion + potatotop 3% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together16,012 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Potato + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,047 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Rice + potatotop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together851 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Onion + celerytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,518 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Very fine rice thickens the broth and gives the soup body as it cooks.
- Potatoes
- Starch from the diced potatoes adds body and softens into the broth as it simmers.
- Egg yolk
- Beaten egg yolk mixed in at the end enriches the soup and adds richness and smoothness.
The step that matters
Just before serving, mix in the beaten egg yolk thoroughly.. Egg yolk can curdle or scramble if it meets very hot liquid for long. Adding it last and stirring well keeps it smooth and evenly distributed.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (meat, rice, potato, celery, pepper, egg):
- Carrotfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against meat, rice, potato, celery, pepper, 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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