Mexican · Authentic-ish Mexican
Albondigas en Chipotle
316 kcal a serving, against 518 for the traditional version. That is 202 kcal off, or 39%, with 33.9g of protein. Serves 6. 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Fatty beef mince mixed with white rice and egg, rolled into tight balls. Fried aggressively in vegetable oil to build a thick crust, then simmered in a blended broth of fresh tomatoes, onions and rehydrated dried chillies until the rice inside the meatballs swells and cooks.
What changed, and what each change costs
800g of 15% fat beef mince and 50g of vegetable oil swapped for 400g of 5% fat beef mince, 400g of turkey mince and zero oil
Frying meatballs in oil before they go into a wet broth adds an enormous amount of fat. Using extra-lean beef and turkey strips the fat back dramatically, and poaching them directly in the liquid cooks them gently without needing a drop of oil.
What it costs you. You miss out on the Maillard reaction. Boiled meat lacks the deep, roasted flavour of pan-fried meat. It's the first compromise you'll notice, because the exterior of the albondigas is soft rather than crisp.
100g of long-grain white rice reduced to 50g
Rice acts as a binder and a filler inside the meatball. Cutting it in half shifts the balance of the dish heavily towards the meat.
What it costs you. The meatballs become noticeably denser. The rice usually acts as a sponge for the broth, so having less of it means a slightly less juicy bite.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 518 | 316 |
| Protein | 31.9g | 33.9g |
| Fat | 31.4g | 11.5g |
| Saturated fat | 9.6g | 3.7g |
| Carbohydrate | 25.6g | 18.9g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 6.1g | 10.7g |
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. eggs.
The method is in the book
This is a fiery, comforting bowl of food, but Call it a bright and sharp weeknight dinner rather than a heavy winter stew and you'll be about right. The loss is the deep, greasy satisfaction of fried beef. You get a much lighter, sharper finish. I admit the fried crust is better on the original, but the poached turkey and beef balls are incredibly tender. The tomato and chilli broth does all the hard work, delivering a massive hit of flavour without drowning the plate in oil.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Mexican, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback