Why it works: Ginger and cinnamon 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
Make the sauce
Combine tomatoes, onions, brown sugar, salt, vinegar, ginger, cinnamon, and red pepper in a large pot.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering until thickened.
Bottle
Pour into sterilized cans or bottles 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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Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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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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Ginger + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + gingertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,595 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
- Provide the main body and moisture that cook down into the sauce.
- Onions
- Add savory bulk and body to the sauce as they soften.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances its sweetness.
- Ginger
- Contributes a warm, aromatic flavor to the sauce.
The step that matters
Simmer until thickened. Simmering lets water evaporate from the tomatoes and onions, so the sauce thickens. If it is not cooked long enough, it stays thin and watery.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, sugar, vinegar, ginger, cinnamon, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Sweet potatofits better
- Carrotfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, sugar, vinegar, ginger, cinnamon, pepper. 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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