Why it works: Molasses and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Indian Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine sour milk, Indian meal, molasses, sugar, fruit, flour, and baking soda, then mix until well combined.
Pour the mixture into a suitable steaming dish.
Steam
Steam for 2 hours until set.
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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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with the baking soda to lift the pudding and add tang.
- Indian meal
- Cornmeal thickens the batter and gives the pudding its body as it cooks.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, dark color, and a deep, rich flavor.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas that helps the pudding rise.
- Flour
- Adds starch that helps thicken and firm the pudding as it sets.
- Fruit
- Contributes moisture, natural sweetness, and flavor to the pudding.
The step that matters
Steam until fully set. Cornmeal and flour starches thicken only as they heat through and gelatinize. Lifting the lid or stopping early leaves the pudding loose and under-set, so steam for the full time.
“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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