Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Mutton Broth
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove all fat and cut the mutton into small pieces.
Simmer the broth
Put the mutton, bones, salt, and water into a saucepan.
Bring to a boil slowly and skim off any foam.
Add the diced vegetables and blanched barley.
Simmer gently for three hours, skimming as necessary.
Finish and serve
Strain the broth and remove all fat.
Reheat the broth in a saucepan and stir in the chopped parsley.
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.
-
Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,173 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Carrot + turniptop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,002 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Neck of mutton
- Gives the broth its meaty flavor and body as it simmers.
- Rice or pearl barley
- Thickens the broth slightly and adds a soft, starchy texture.
- Onion
- Adds sweetness and savory depth to the broth as it cooks.
- Carrot
- Adds mild sweetness and color while softening during simmering.
- Turnip
- Contributes mild sweetness and a tender, soft texture to the broth.
The step that matters
Bring to a boil slowly and skim off any foam. Bringing the liquid up gently lets impurities and fat rise as foam that can be skimmed away, keeping the broth clear and clean-tasting rather than cloudy.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, rice, carrot, turnip, celery, parsley, pepper):
- Parsnipfits better
- Leekfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, rice, carrot, turnip, celery, parsley, 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.
More mutton broth recipes
You might also like
Rice Water82 recipes
Rice Milk37 recipes
Ground Rice Milk7 recipes
Vegetable Soup350 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.