Cypriot · Authentic-ish Cypriot
Ttavas
387 kcal a serving, against 815 for the traditional version. That is 428 kcal off, or 53%, with 38g of protein. Serves 6. 3 hours 30 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Classic ttavas is cubes of fatty lamb mixed with onion, tomato, rice, a full whack of cumin, salt, and lashings of olive oil.
What changed, and what each change costs
1200g lamb shoulder for 1000g lean lamb leg
I've picked lamb leg to keep the protein high and the fat sensible. Shoulder is gorgeous but carries a lot of extra baggage. Leg is firm and slightly less forgiving, but it'll still soften with a long bake.
What it costs you. You lose that melty fat, and the meat doesn't quite collapse like shoulder. It's chewier, and you'll need to cut cubes smaller so nobody's gnawing through dinner.
Olive oil down from 80g to 30g
This is the second big win. Most ttavas will have a pool of oil floating around, which is lovely but does nothing for your plans. I use just enough to toast the cumin, gloss the top, and stop anything sticking.
What it costs you. No denying it: the original has a lusciousness that comes from unapologetic oil. Here, the flavours are sharper, and you don't get the same slickness in the rice. Still, you can taste the lamb and cumin more clearly, which I'm calling a bonus.
Rice halved from 200g to 100g, onions up from 450g to 700g, tomatoes up from 400g to 700g
Less rice means you can actually see the lamb under all those onions and tomatoes. More veg raises the bulk and sweetness, so you get a decent plateful and a proper meal.
What it costs you. The rice at the bottom won't soak up as much fat and juice. You'll have more vegetables to spoon up and a lighter feel in the mouth. Anyone who only wants the rice: sorry, it's not your evening.
Lamb down from 1200g to 1000g
Since lamb leg runs leaner and I've raised the veg, I can shrink the meat and keep protein up for everyone. That keeps the cost down too, though the purists would call it sabotage.
What it costs you. You're getting more onion and tomato with each mouthful, so if you like a meat pile, you'll mutter. For everyone else, it's still generous.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 815 | 387 |
| Protein | 37.2g | 38g |
| Fat | 57g | 12.8g |
| Saturated fat | 20.5g | 3.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 37.1g | 29.6g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.6g | 9.8g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Cypriot prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
The method is in the book
This version is less unctuous than the ttavas you'll get in a village taverna. If you want lamb that falls apart in a lake of oil, you'll have to go back to the shoulder and let the olive oil free. But I promise you get the flavour, the cumin and tomato still hold together, and you can stick to your plan without feeling you've just eaten a whole lamb. It isn't the ttavas of your childhood, it's the one you can eat on a Tuesday night and not regret. No shame in that.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Cypriot, along with 47 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.