Why it works: Rhubarb and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,852 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Rhubarb Mould
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wipe and cut up the rhubarb.
Boil the rhubarb with ½ cup water for about 10 minutes.
Wash the sago and soak it in ½ cup warm water.
Make the mould
Add the soaked sago to the rhubarb.
Stir in the sugar and boil for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Pour into a basin or mould dipped in cold water.
Set and serve
Let it cool and firm, then turn out and serve.
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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Rhubarb + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,852 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Rhubarb
- Provides the main flavour, tartness and moisture for the mould.
- Sago
- Its starch thickens as it cooks and sets the mould as it cools.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the tartness of the rhubarb.
The step that matters
Stirring constantly while boiling the sago and sugar. Sago starch is heavy and settles quickly, so it can scorch on the base of the pan and form lumps. Constant stirring keeps heat even and the starch dispersed, so the cooked mixture sets smooth and uniform when it cools.
“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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