Mexican · Authentic-ish Mexican
Calabacitas
182 kcal a serving, against 307 for the traditional version. That is 125 kcal off, or 41%, with 8.1g of protein. Serves 4. 35 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Diced courgettes, fresh sweetcorn, tomatoes and onions, fried down in plenty of vegetable oil until they collapse into a rich, sweet stew. It usually comes finished with a heavy crumbling of queso fresco and chopped fresh coriander.
What changed, and what each change costs
45g of vegetable oil cut down to 10g
Courgettes are mostly water. When you fry them in a lot of oil, they soak it up immediately. Cutting the oil slashes the fat dramatically while leaving the core vegetables completely intact.
What it costs you. You lose that rich, mouth-coating texture that comes from vegetables practically confiting in hot oil. The courgettes will steam rather than fry, making the final dish a bit wetter and less luxurious. It's the first compromise you'll notice.
100g of queso fresco reduced to 50g
Cheese brings a lot of fat. Halving it keeps the salty garnish but stops the dish from becoming unnecessarily heavy at the end.
What it costs you. You get fewer salty, milky hits in every mouthful. You'll need to make sure the vegetables are seasoned aggressively with salt and black pepper to make up for the missing cheese.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 307 | 182 |
| Protein | 10.6g | 8.1g |
| Fat | 20.1g | 7.6g |
| Saturated fat | 6.1g | 2.8g |
| Carbohydrate | 25.7g | 25.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.5g | 4.5g |
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 is a brilliantly bright, fresh bowl of vegetables. You end up with a very light side dish that tastes heavily of exactly what you put into it. The version that's a rich, oily stew is still out there and still better. What comes off the plate is the decadent mouthfeel of oil-soaked courgettes. You get a cleaner, sharper plate that lets the natural sweetness of the corn shine. It works brilliantly next to grilled meat or folded into warm tortillas, but it completely lacks the heavy comfort of the original dish. If your fresh tomatoes are underripe or watery, you will definitely notice it here, so make sure you buy good ones.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Mexican, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback