Why it works: Rice and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,379 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Turkish Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the soup
In a saucepan, combine the rice and stock and bring to a boil.
Press the mixture through a sieve and return it to the saucepan.
Finish and serve
Beat the egg yolks and mix in the cream.
Add the egg and cream mixture to the stock and rice, cooking for just a moment to avoid curdling.
Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper before serving.
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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Rice + peppertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,379 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Rice + creamtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,399 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Cream + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together21,449 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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Rice + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,350 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Cream and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 21,449 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Thickens the stock and gives the soup a smooth, body-rich texture once pressed through a sieve.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich and thicken the soup when gently heated, adding richness and a silky texture.
- Cream
- Adds richness and a smoother mouthfeel, softening the soup's flavor.
The step that matters
Adding the egg and cream mixture. Egg yolks thicken by gentle heat but curdle if they get too hot. Cook only for a moment after adding them, and avoid boiling, so the soup stays 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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