Why it works: Rice and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,137 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Indian Pancake
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine the beaten eggs, milk, boiled rice, sugar, and ground cinnamon, and mix well until fully combined.
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Cook and serve
Pour the mixture into the skillet and cook until the bottom is browned, about 1-2 minutes.
Carefully flip to brown the other side.
Cut the pancake into four pieces and serve with powdered sugar sprinkled on top.
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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Rice + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,137 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Milk + ricetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and set into a firm, sliceable pancake structure when cooked.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid that thins the batter and adds moisture and soft texture.
- Boiled rice
- Adds body and a soft, tender texture to the batter.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the bottom and flipped side brown in the skillet.
- Butter
- Fat for the skillet that prevents sticking and adds richness and browning.
The step that matters
Flipping the pancake. The batter is still loose until the first side sets and browns. Flipping too early can tear the pancake or make it collapse, so wait until the bottom is firmly browned and then turn it carefully.
“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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