Why it works: Capsicum and ginger are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,890 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Ginger Cordial
Ingredients
Directions
Make the cordial
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, capsicum, essence of ginger, and tartaric acid.
Pour the boiling water over the mixture and stir frequently.
Finish and store
Once cool, add a few drops of browning for color.
Bottle the cordial for storage.
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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Capsicum + gingertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,890 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together14,054 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sugar + capsicumtop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,560 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and ginger barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 14,054 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
- Loaf sugar
- Provides sweetness and body, and helps preserve the cordial.
- Essence of ginger
- Supplies the main ginger aroma and flavour.
- Tartaric acid
- Adds a sharp, tangy acidity that balances the sweetness.
The step that matters
Add the browning only once cool. Browning is a colouring, so only a few drops are needed, and adding it to hot liquid makes the colour harder to judge. Stir frequently while the sugar dissolves in the hot water, so no grains remain before the mixture cools.
Swap the capsicum
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, ginger):
- Sweet potatofits better
- Carrotfits about as well
- Capsicumthe original
- Beetrootfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, ginger. 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.
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