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Mutton and Kidney Pudding

A pudding made from mutton, kidneys, onions, gravy, and walnut ketchup.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and walnut are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,771 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Mutton and Kidney Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Cut slices from an underdone leg of mutton and kidneys to form alternate layers, then mix in some minced onions.

  2. Prepare the pudding in a shape or as a paste, but do not over-season.

  3. Pour good gravy into the pudding when boiled, using walnut ketchup for flavor.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Onion + walnuttop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,771 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Mutton + oniontop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together4,531 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  3. Onion + ketchuptop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together1,997 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  4. Walnut + ketchuptop 22% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together596 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. Mutton + ketchuptop 24% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together367 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanoic acid (soapy, waxy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Leg of mutton
Provides the main meat bulk and savoury flavour that carries the whole pudding.
Kidneys
Adds a rich, deeply savoury flavour and a firm, meaty texture between the mutton layers.
Minced onions
Contribute aroma and a mild sweetness as they soften during cooking.
Good gravy
Adds moisture and body, so the meat stays juicy and the pudding is not dry.
Walnut ketchup
Adds concentrated savoury depth and a tangy, umami-rich note to the dish.

The step that matters

Do not over-season the pudding. Walnut ketchup and gravy already contribute salt and savoury depth, and flavours concentrate as the pudding cooks and absorbs liquid. Adding too much seasoning early can leave the finished pudding overly salty, so taste before finishing.

Swap the walnut

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, onion, ketchup):

  1. Beansfits better
  2. Peasfits better
  3. Walnutthe original
  4. Sesamefits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, onion, ketchup. 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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