Why it works: Rice and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,374 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Rice Griddle Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine the mashed rice, eggs, milk, baking powder, and salt.
Mix well until smooth.
Gradually add flour until the batter is thin but not runny.
Cook
Heat a griddle over medium heat and lightly grease it.
Pour batter onto the griddle to form cakes and cook until golden brown on both sides.
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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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Rice + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,611 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 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
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and help the pancakes hold their shape while cooking.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and loosens the batter to a pourable consistency.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas that lifts the batter so the pancakes rise and turn lighter.
- Cold boiled rice
- Provides the body of the batter and a soft, tender texture in the cakes.
- Flour
- Thickens the batter so it is thin yet still holds together.
The step that matters
Cook until golden brown on both sides. Browning comes from the Maillard reaction, which needs steady medium heat on a lightly greased surface. Too hot and the outside scorches before the centre sets; too cool and the cakes soak up grease and stay pale and soft.
“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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