Why it works: Egg and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 118,967 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Oriental Indian Corn Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the porridge
Bring water to a boil and salt to taste.
Slowly stir in enough cornmeal to make a thick porridge.
Remove from heat and beat with a spoon until somewhat cool.
Make the batter
Beat in the egg yolks and a little oil or clarified butter.
Whip the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture.
Bake
Oil a baking tin, pour in the batter, and bake for 30 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
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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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cornmeal
- Forms the thick porridge base that gives the bread its body.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and help bind the batter.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they trap air that lifts the bread as it bakes.
- Oil or clarified butter
- Adds fat for moisture and a tender crumb.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped egg whites hold air that gives lift. Stirring them in vigorously deflates the foam, so fold gently with a spatula until just combined and the batter stays light.
“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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