Why it works: Onion and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 68,474 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Mutton Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the mutton into pieces.
Place the mutton in a pot and cover with water.
Simmer
Add chopped onions and any desired vegetables.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hours until the meat is tender.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
-
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together68,474 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mutton + peppertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together5,442 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
-
Mutton + oniontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,531 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton
- Provides the main protein; its connective tissue softens into tender meat and a rich broth during long simmering.
- Onions
- Add aroma and a mild sweetness as they soften and flavour the broth.
The step that matters
Simmer gently after bringing to a boil. A rolling boil toughens meat fibres and can make the broth cloudy. A gentle simmer lets collagen in the mutton break down slowly, so the meat becomes tender and the broth stays clear.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Tomatofits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, pepper. 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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