Why it works: Ham and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,536 recipes. Both carry 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which smells popcorn, roasted. The science ↓
Modern Cookery
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the rice
Boil the rice until tender, then mash it with a strong wooden spoon against the sides of the pot until smooth.
Allow the rice to cool, then shape it into a raised pie using your hands.
Fill and decorate
Decorate the pie with a design made from a pointed carrot.
If using, cut the bread to fit inside the mold, leaving a thick crust.
Fill the casserole with the rice and any additional filling, such as minced meat or other preparations.
Bake
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until colored but not dried out.
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.
-
Ham + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,536 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
-
Rice + breadtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,259 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
-
Rice + hamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together477 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rice
- Forms the bulk of the pie, and mashing it smooth gives it a cohesive, sliceable body.
- Gravy
- Adds moisture and savory flavor so the rice does not dry out while baking.
The step that matters
Bake until colored but not dried out. Baking drives browning through surface heat, but over-baking evaporates the moisture the rice needs, leaving it dry and crumbly. Watching color rather than just the clock helps keep it moist.
“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 rice pie recipes
You might also like
Bread Pudding153 recipes
Rice Cake120 recipes
Soft Ginger Bread85 recipes
Orange Potato Bread80 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.