Why it works: Ginger and basmati rice work together. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and 290 recipes mention both. Both carry nonanal, which smells fat, citrus. The science ↓
The recipe
Serves 4Ingredients
Contains: milk, soy (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large lidded pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until softened.
Add the grated ginger, sliced red chilli and chicken pieces. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside.
Stir in the basmati rice so it is coated in the oil and fat, cooking for 1 minute.
Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the frozen edamame and cover again for 1 to 2 minutes until hot and the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Check that the thickest piece of chicken reaches 165°F (74°C). If not, cover and cook a few more minutes.
Remove from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes, then fluff the rice gently with a fork.
Scatter over the coriander leaves and serve with fat-free Greek yoghurt on the side if using.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Ginger + basmati ricetop 10% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together290 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
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Ginger + coriandertop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together3,504 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Onion + chickentop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together17,808 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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Beans + coriandertop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,261 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Chicken + basmati ricetop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together289 recipes
Shared aroma: trans,trans-2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the coriander
The recipe marks coriander as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, ginger, chicken, basmati rice, beans):
- Garlicbetter flavor fit
- Cuminabout as good a flavor fit
- Turmericabout as good a flavor fit
- Corianderthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against onion, ginger, chicken, basmati rice, beans. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
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