Why it works: Cinnamon and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,380 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Chili Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pare and slice the tomatoes.
Chop the green peppers and onions finely.
Cook and seal
Combine all ingredients in a pot and boil for three hours.
Add the spices, sugar, and vinegar, then boil for one hour longer.
Put the sauce in jars and seal.
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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Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,431 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + gingertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tomatoes
- Form the bulk of the sauce and provide moisture and body as they break down.
- Onions
- Add savory aroma and body, softening into the sauce during the long boil.
- Green peppers
- Contribute fresh, vegetal flavor and body to the sauce.
- Cider vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and helps keep it stable.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the acidity and vinegar.
The step that matters
Simmering the sauce for the full time. The long boil evaporates water, thickens the sauce and softens the vegetables. Cooking it too briefly leaves it thin and raw-tasting. Stir often, since sugar scorches on the bottom of the pot.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, pepper, cider, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, ginger):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Cucumberfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, pepper, cider, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, ginger. 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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