Greek · Authentic-ish Greek
Lahanodolmades
338 kcal a serving, against 503 for the traditional version. That is 165 kcal off, or 33%, with 28g of protein. Serves 6. 90 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A whole white cabbage boiled until the leaves peel away. A rich stuffing made from fatty pork shoulder mince, white rice, raw olive oil, onion and dill. The rolls simmer in chicken stock, and the cooking liquid is whisked with whole eggs and lemon juice to make a thick, silken avgolemono sauce.
What changed, and what each change costs
Fatty pork mince down to 4% fat lean pork mince
Pork shoulder brings immense calories through rendered fat. Using a genuinely lean mince gives you all the savoury pork flavour and the exact same protein for a fraction of the cost.
What it costs you. The filling relies on that fat for moisture. You've got to accept a slightly firmer, denser meatball inside the cabbage leaf.
150g of white rice down to a mix of long-grain rice and bulgur wheat
Bulgur brings a nutty flavour, extra fibre and holds its shape brilliantly. Mixing it with a smaller amount of rice shifts the balance away from pure starch while keeping enough stickiness to bind the meat.
What it costs you. Call it a distinct grain that provides chew rather than a perfectly yielding binder and you'll be about right. You lose the classic uniform softness of the traditional Greek roll.
60g of olive oil in the filling down to 15g
Soaking the raw meat mixture in oil makes the final dish rich, but it costs you dearly. I use just a tiny splash to sweat the onions before they join the meat.
What it costs you. Less fat means less richness leaking into the broth. The avgolemono sauce has to work a bit harder to coat the palate.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 503 | 338 |
| Protein | 24.1g | 28g |
| Fat | 28.6g | 9.5g |
| Saturated fat | 7.6g | 2.6g |
| Carbohydrate | 37.7g | 37.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.8g | 8.3g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Greek prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. celery, eggs, gluten.
The method is in the book
It's a massive win. The avgolemono provides all the luxurious mouthfeel you'll ever need, easily masking the missing fat from the lean pork. The bulgur adds a fantastic bite to the filling that the original lacks. You can't beat it.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Greek, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback