Why it works: Mutton and rice are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,019 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓
Mutton Broth
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the stock
Wash the mutton well, cut away all the fat, and chop it into large pieces.
Place the mutton pieces and knuckle bones into a stewpan.
Add 5 pints of cold water and ¼ teaspoon of coarse sea salt.
Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 4 hours, skimming often.
Strain the stock into a basin and let it cool until it forms a stiff jelly.
Clear the fat
Remove the fat from the top with a spoon.
Dab the top of the stock with a clean cloth dipped in hot water to remove grease.
Wipe the top of the stock dry with a clean, dry cloth.
Make the broth
Wash the rice well in 2-3 waters.
Put the stock back into a stewpan and bring it to a boil.
Stir in the rice and boil for 25 minutes until the rice is tender.
Season with pepper and salt to taste.
Pour the broth into a basin for serving.
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.
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Mutton + ricetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,019 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton scrag end
- Breaks down during long simmering to give the stock its meaty body and flavour.
- Mutton knuckles
- Bones release gelatin into the water, helping the stock set into a stiff jelly when cooled.
- Rice
- Softens as it boils in the stock, thickening the broth and adding body to each serving.
The step that matters
Skimming and cooling the stock. Skimming during the long simmer removes scum that would cloud the broth. Chilling the strained stock lets the fat rise and solidify on top, so it can be lifted off cleanly.
“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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