Why it works: Parsley and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,057 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
Curry of Veal
Ingredients
Directions
Make the curry
In a stewpan, combine the veal, onion, shallot, lemon, butter, parsley, thyme, curry powder, and flour.
Cook over medium heat until the meat is slightly browned.
Add enough broth or water to create a sauce.
Simmer gently until the veal is cooked through.
Serve
Strain the sauce through a sieve and pour it over the veal while hot.
Serve with rice on the side.
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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Parsley + thymetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Lemon + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Lemon + thymetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,973 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Shallot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,737 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Shallot + thymetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,476 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Veal
- Provides the main protein, which becomes tender when simmered gently until cooked through.
- Flour
- Thickens the sauce as it cooks with the butter and liquid.
- Curry powder
- Supplies the spiced aroma and flavour that define the dish.
- Butter
- Adds fat that carries the curry spices and helps the meat brown.
- Onion
- Adds sweetness and body to the sauce as it softens and cooks down.
The step that matters
Browning the meat over medium heat. Cooking over medium heat until the veal is only slightly browned develops savoury flavour through the Maillard reaction without drying or toughening the meat. Browning too hard can scorch the flour and curry powder, leaving a bitter taste.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, shallot, lemon, butter, parsley, thyme, flour):
- Leekfits better
- Chivefits better
- Arrowrootfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, shallot, lemon, butter, parsley, thyme, flour. 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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