Why it works: Nutmeg and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Rice Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the rice
Wash the rice and boil it until very soft. Drain and let it cool.
Make the batter
In a pan, combine the butter and sugar, stirring until very light.
Add the mixed spice and rose water to the butter and sugar mixture.
Beat the eggs until light, then gradually stir them into the milk.
Alternately stir the egg and milk mixture and the cooled rice into the butter and sugar mixture.
For added flavor, stir in floured currants or raisins before baking.
Bake and serve
Bake the mixture and grate nutmeg over the top before serving.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
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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Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Mace + nutmegtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,557 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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Rice + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,137 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Softened by boiling, it forms the body of the pudding.
- Eggs
- Set during baking to give the pudding its structure and custard-like texture.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to add richness and a tender crumb.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and softness, loosening the mixture before baking.
- Sugar
- Creamed with butter for lightness and adds sweetness.
The step that matters
Stirring the egg and milk mixture and cooled rice into the butter and sugar. Adding the liquid and rice alternately and gradually helps the batter stay smooth and evenly combined. Cooled rice prevents the eggs from scrambling and keeps the texture even during baking.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rice, butter, sugar, milk, egg, nutmeg, cinnamon):
- Cardamomfits better
- Clovefits better
- Allspicefits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rice, butter, sugar, milk, egg, nutmeg, cinnamon. 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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