Mexican · Authentic-ish Mexican
Rajas con Crema
173 kcal a serving, against 361 for the traditional version. That is 188 kcal off, or 52%, with 13.2g of protein. Serves 4. 35 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Blistered and peeled poblano peppers, torn into strips and fried with sliced onions and sweetcorn. The whole pan is then drowned in double cream and simmered until the sauce reduces into a thick, rich gravy that clings to the vegetables.
What changed, and what each change costs
250g of double cream and 30g of butter swapped for 250g of quark, 100g of chicken stock and 10g of olive oil
Double cream and butter are packed with fat and drag the dish down. Quark provides a creamy visual and a sharp tang, while the chicken stock thins it into a sauce. This completely guts the fat content and brings in a massive hit of dairy structure.
What it costs you. Texture is the first casualty here. Quark isn't double cream, it's a lean substitute. It lacks the rich, fatty mouthfeel that makes the traditional dish so comforting. The sauce feels noticeably thinner on the tongue and has a slight chalky edge if you let it get too hot.
600g of poblano peppers swapped for 600g of red peppers and 50g of jalapenos
Poblanos can be hard to source in a standard British supermarket. Red peppers provide the sweet, fleshy vegetable bulk, while a few jalapenos bring the mild background heat that a poblano usually delivers in one package.
What it costs you. Red peppers are much sweeter and lack the distinct earthy, bitter notes of a true green poblano. It's a different flavour profile, leaning sweeter rather than savoury.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 361 | 173 |
| Protein | 5.2g | 13.2g |
| Fat | 29.7g | 3.9g |
| Saturated fat | 18.4g | 0.7g |
| Carbohydrate | 23.3g | 25.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.4g | 7.6g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Mexican prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk.
The method is in the book
This dish is a compromise, and I'll be completely honest about it. The quark and stock mixture works visually and provides a tangy, creamy background, but it doesn't taste like a traditional Mexican crema. A sharp, practical way to eat a lot of vegetables on a Tuesday night, then. Not a decadent restaurant side dish, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. The charred pepper flavour still shines through brilliantly, and the sweetcorn adds a great pop of texture. It does the job, as long as you know you're eating a lean dairy sauce.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Mexican, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback