Why it works: Mutton and barley work together. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 510 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity. The science ↓
Mutton Broth
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the mutton into small pieces, removing all fat.
Place the meat in a saucepan with cold water.
Cook the broth
Heat on the stove and remove any scum that forms.
Boil for 2 hours, then strain the broth.
When the broth starts to boil, add the pearl barley.
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.
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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Mutton + barleytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together510 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton
- Provides the meaty flavor and savory body of the broth as it simmers.
- Pearl barley
- Releases starch as it cooks, lightly thickening the broth and adding a soft chew.
The step that matters
Removing the scum as the water heats. The scum is coagulated proteins and impurities released from the meat. If left in, it clouds the broth and can make its flavor dull or bitter. Skimming it early keeps the broth clear and clean-tasting.
“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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