Why it works: Sesame and honey work together. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and 527 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl pentanoate, which smells yeast, fruit. The science ↓
The recipe
6 servingsIngredients
Contains: soy, sesame (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.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until golden. Add 1 tablespoon honey and stir for 30 seconds to coat. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower florets, ground turmeric, salt and black pepper. Add a splash of water, cover, and cook 6 to 8 minutes until tender-crisp.
Add the sweet corn to the skillet and cook uncovered for 2 minutes, stirring. Spread the cauliflower and corn on a plate to cool to room temperature.
Whisk together 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice, minced garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon honey, vinegar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce if using, salt and black pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the arugula, parsley, green onions and oregano if using. Add the cooled cauliflower and corn.
Pour about two-thirds of the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with the honey sesame seeds and serve, passing the remaining dressing at the table.
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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Sesame + honeytop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together527 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl pentanoate (yeast, fruit).
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Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together34,118 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Cauliflower + turmerictop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together514 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Turmeric + peppertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together4,476 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Olive + parsleytop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together8,668 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Flavor stand-ins for the parsley
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cauliflower, olive, corn, sesame, honey, turmeric, pepper):
- Gingerbetter flavor fit
- Cuminbetter flavor fit
- Corianderbetter flavor fit
- Parsleythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cauliflower, olive, corn, sesame, honey, turmeric, pepper. 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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