Why it works: Milk and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,243 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓
Indian Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the pudding base
Scald the milk in a pot.
In a small bowl, wet the cornmeal with a little cold milk and boil for 1-2 minutes.
Add the molasses, remaining milk, and cold water to the pot.
Bake
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 2½ hours.
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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Milk + molassestop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,243 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Milk
- Provides the main liquid, which thickens into a custard-like body with the cornmeal.
- Cornmeal
- Its starch thickens the liquid when heated and helps the pudding set as it bakes.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color and the pudding's characteristic deep flavor.
The step that matters
Wet and boil the cornmeal before adding it. Cornmeal starch must be hydrated and heated to thicken. Added dry or unevenly mixed, it clumps and the pudding turns grainy instead of smooth.
“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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