Name: Spareribs, Korean Style
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 to 4 pounds spareribs, cut into 2-inch sections; 1/4 cup sesame seeds; 2 tablespoons chopped garlic; 1/4 cup sugar; 5 nickel-sized slices peeled fresh ginger; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons sesame oil; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 cup chopped scallion

Why it works: Sesame and ginger are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,531 recipes. Both carry nonanal, which smells fat, citrus. The science ↓

Spareribs, Korean Style

makes 4 servings

Ingredients

3 to 4 pounds spareribs, cut into 2-inch sections
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/4 cup sugar
5 nickel-sized slices peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallion

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

190Calories

1 gProtein

14 gFat

16 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Sesame	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By epicurious. Recipe from Open Recipes.

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.

Sesame + gingertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,531 recipes

Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Sesame + garlictop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,000 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Garlic + gingertop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,402 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,090 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ginger + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,800 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sesame, sugar, ginger, sauce, pepper):

Turmericfits better
Cinnamonfits better
Cardamomfits better
Garlicthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sesame, sugar, ginger, sauce, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

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