Cypriot · Authentic-ish Cypriot
Garides Saganaki
290 kcal a serving, against 412 for the traditional version. That is 122 kcal off, or 30%, with 39.8g of protein. Serves 4. 40 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Large raw prawns cooked briefly in a pan with a good slug of olive oil, garlic, and a splash of ouzo or white wine. Add chopped tomatoes, let it bubble, then scatter plenty of halloumi cubes over the top. Bake until the cheese browns and everything's bubbling. Served with bread for the sauce and a squeeze of lemon.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g olive oil down to 15g, just enough to start the sauce
I'm not going to pretend the oil isn't lovely here, but you don't need it swimming round the tray. With just enough to start the garlic and loosen the tomatoes, you still get the perfume without the film.
What it costs you. You lose some of that richness that clings to the prawns and the sauce. It's not a velvet curtain anymore, more of a polite nudge. Use good oil if you can, because you'll taste it - there's nowhere to hide.
Halloumi down from 200g to 80g, and swapped half for tofu-firm
Halloumi brings tons of flavour, but it's not doing your arteries any favours. So I've taken it right down, and put firm tofu in for half the chewy, salty cubes. The tofu soaks up the sauce, bringing its own protein and taking up cheese's space on the scales. Nobody will be fooled, but it means you don't have to ration the prawns.
What it costs you. Let's face it: halloumi is the first thing you'll miss. Tofu's soft but bland, so the trick is to cube it the same way, dry it a bit, and sit it right in the sauce so it actually picks up the flavour. Don't expect squeaky cheese in every bite, but you'll get a proper meal out of it.
Added extra prawns, up from 400g to 600g
You need to put back a bit of protein so you're not just eating tomato and tofu. Adding extra prawns keeps it satisfying, and you don't notice the cheese cut as much when your fork's busy.
What it costs you. It's more of a seafood bake now than a show-off cheese dish. You're eating more prawns than cheese, which isn't such a bad outcome, but the original balance is gone.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 412 | 290 |
| Protein | 33.5g | 39.8g |
| Fat | 27.4g | 11.1g |
| Saturated fat | 10.5g | 4.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 6.5g | 6.6g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 8.1g | 13.7g |
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.
Allergens. crustaceans, milk, soybeans, sulphites.
The method is in the book
This isn't a cheese feast anymore. The original is saltier, richer and goes better with several pints of beer and too much bread. But what you gain is a dinner you don't have to feel nervous about on a Tuesday night. It's got a proper whack of protein, keeps the tomato, garlic and booze punch, and gives you about three times as many prawns on the fork. Halloumi still shows up, but you're not going to be fighting your mates for the last cube. Pair it with a bit of decent bread, and you won't be cross at all. If you want the old magic, make the original and don't look back - on a school night, this one will do nicely.
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.