Salata Horiatiki Kypriaki

Name: Salata Horiatiki Kypriaki
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Cypriot
Ingredients: Ripe tomatoes; Cucumber; Green pepper; Red onion; Black olives; Olive oil; Halloumi; Fresh mint; Dried oregano; Salt; Black pepper

Salata Horiatiki Kypriaki, plated as one serving.

170 kcal a serving, against 288 for the traditional version. That is 118 kcal off, or 41%, with 8.4g of protein. Serves 4. 20 minutes.

What the traditional version is

The classic Cypriot village salad starts with chunky tomato wedges, thick cucumber slices, green pepper, red onion and olives. Generous chunks of halloumi, usually griddled, sit on top, finished with a decent splash of fruity olive oil, dried oregano, and a handful of fresh mint. Some people scatter capers if they're feeling flush. The oil and cheese are what make it filling - and, if I'm honest, are where you'll feel it a few hours later.

What changed, and what each change costs

Halloumi down from 160g to 100g, and switch to grilling instead of pan-frying

Halloumi is what makes this salad a meal, and also what fills you up fast. Taking out a third shifts the focus back to the vegetables, and grilling means you don't add any sneaky oil.

What it costs you. It's a less lavish pile of cheese, and if you're the sort who hunts for extra cubes, you'll notice. But with better tomatoes and a proper tangle of mint, you won't go home feeling stuffed and slightly regretful. The squeak and the salt are still front and centre, so the loss is a manageable one.

Olive oil down from 50g to 12g, drizzled at the end

If you want salad that leaves you awake, the oil is the other big target. At 12g, you still get the perfume and gloss, just not the puddle at the bottom. The rest is up to the moisture from the tomatoes.

What it costs you. The mouthfeel is lighter and you lose a bit of that lusciousness. You'll be chasing the last bit of oil round the bowl rather than rescuing limp veg from it. The salad feels cleaner, for better or worse.

Tomato up from 400g to 600g, cucumber up from 200g to 300g

You've got less oil and cheese, but you want the same sense of a big, gutsy salad. Bulking up the tomato and cucumber keeps the pile generous, and means the rest of the family might actually get some before it vanishes.

What it costs you. No real downside unless you truly fear vegetables. The point here is the tomatoes do most of the heavy lifting now, and it's their juice making the dressing do its thing.

What goes in it

The ingredients, without the quantities. The weights are what the figures below are computed from, and they are in the book.

Ripe tomatoes
Cucumber
Green pepper
Red onion
Black olives
Olive oil
Halloumi
Fresh mint
Dried oregano
Salt
Black pepper

How it starts

Slice the tomatoes into chunky wedges or half-moons, whichever looks better with what you've got.
Peel the cucumber if the skin's thick, then quarter it lengthways and slice thickly.
Slice the green pepper into strips and the red onion into half-moons.

The rest of the method, and every weight, is in Authentic-ish Cypriot.

The numbers

Per serving	Traditional	Lightened
Calories	288	170
Protein	11.4g	8.4g
Fat	23.4g	10.5g
Saturated fat	8.7g	4.9g
Carbohydrate	10.6g	13.2g
Protein per 100 kcal	4g	4.9g

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. How every number is computed sets out the method.

Allergens. milk.

The method is in the book

The original is greedier, louder with oil and cheese, and that's hard to deny. But this tricked version feels fresher, more about the tomato and mint, and less like you're trying to sneak a nap by three in the afternoon. You'll be left with the taste of proper summer veg and enough cheese to keep you interested. It isn't a surprise, but it's a salad that feels worth making again the next day, and if you're still hungry, there's always bread and more tomato. That's Cyprus.

The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Cypriot, along with 47 more. Buy the paperback