Jewish · Authentic-ish Jewish
Schav
102 kcal a serving, against 238 for the traditional version. That is 136 kcal off, or 57%, with 8.5g of protein. Serves 4. 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Sorrel soup cooked gently with water or light stock, thickened with several egg yolks and a generous dollop of soured cream - at least enough to make things glossy and yellow. Chilled and served with sliced hard-boiled egg and sometimes a new potato or two on the side. The flavour sits right between grassy and tangy, with the creamy base toning down the bite.
What changed, and what each change costs
Soured cream swapped out for low-fat buttermilk
Buttermilk's the lighter cousin here. Swapping the soured cream for buttermilk makes the soup sharper and less velvety, but saves you a heap of fat and still gives a bit of tang.
What it costs you. You lose that creamy thickness and the mouth-coating gloss. It tastes fresher, but feels thinner and nowhere near as soothing if you're looking for comfort.
Egg yolks down from 60g to a single egg white
Egg yolks turn everything golden and rich, but they're not doing your waistline any favours. Switching to one egg white bumps the protein up for far fewer calories, but don't expect magic: you get body, not silk.
What it costs you. The colour goes from golden to a sort of hospital green, and you lose that lush finish. It's much less like soup-as-sauce, more like soup-as-vegetable.
New potatoes out, diced cucumber in
New potatoes are a nostalgic touch, but they're just ballast. Chuck in cold diced cucumber instead. It freshens things up, adds crunch, and saves you a bundle of carbs.
What it costs you. No more comforting, carby chunks. The cucumber is crisp but much more virtuous than fun.
Buttermilk and egg white tempered carefully instead of just stirring everything in
Without the stability of cream and yolk, buttermilk will split if you even look at it funny. The only way round it is to temper slowly. It isn't foolproof, but with patience, it'll stay smooth.
What it costs you. You do have to pay attention. It isn't quite the set-and-forget soup it was. Split it, and you end up with greenwater and floating curds.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 238 | 102 |
| Protein | 11.7g | 8.5g |
| Fat | 15g | 4.4g |
| Saturated fat | 6.1g | 1.7g |
| Carbohydrate | 14.8g | 7.9g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.9g | 8.4g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Jewish prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
You lose a lot with this one: gone is the golden, creamy blur of proper schav. What you get instead is fresher, lighter and not quite as satisfying - but you can have a big bowl and walk away feeling sprightly instead of sluggish. I'd reach for the real thing on a Friday, this version on Monday when I've got my sensible hat on. The soup's tang and brightness hold up, even if the texture's not a patch on the original.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Jewish, along with 52 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.