Why it works: Mutton and rice are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,019 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Mutton Broth
Ingredients
Directions
Make the broth
Combine 4 cups of water and 1 pound of mutton in a pot.
Simmer gently until the meat is in shreds, skimming off any scum that rises.
Strain the broth and let it cool.
Finish the broth
Remove all the fat from the cooled broth.
Return the broth to the pot, add 2 tablespoons of rice or barley, and simmer gently for 45 minutes.
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 + ricetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,019 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton
- Gives the broth its meaty flavour, and its collagen softens into gelatin that adds body.
- Rice or barley
- Its starch thickens the broth slightly and adds a soft, filling texture.
The step that matters
Simmer gently and skim the scum. Boiling vigorously churns fat and coagulated proteins into the liquid, making the broth cloudy and greasy. Gentle simmering and skimming keep it 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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