Why it works: Chocolate and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,404 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Indian Curry Powder
Ingredients
Directions
Break the chocolate into small pieces.
Put the chocolate into a small saucepan with the water.
Stir over low heat until the chocolate is dissolved.
Add the icing sugar and stir until well mixed and smooth.
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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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chocolate
- Melts into the liquid to give the sauce its flavour and rich body.
- Icing sugar
- Sweetens the mixture and dissolves smoothly for a silky texture.
The step that matters
Stir over low heat until the chocolate is dissolved. Chocolate can seize, turn grainy or scorch if it gets too hot. Gentle heat and steady stirring melt it evenly into a smooth liquid.
“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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