Southern · Authentic-ish Southern
Maque Choux
158 kcal a serving, against 232 for the traditional version. That is 74 kcal off, or 32%, with 7.2g of protein. Serves 4. 35 minutes.
What the traditional version is
The classic maque choux starts by frying 60g of smoked back bacon in the pan until you've got a pool of rendered fat. Next, in goes 450g of fresh sweetcorn, 200g of onion, and 120g of green pepper, all cooked gently in that gloriously smoky fat until they're soft and glistening. To finish, a proper glug - 100ml or so - of double cream goes in, along with a final pinch of salt and pepper. You end up with a pan of sweet, smoky, creamy corn that's halfway to being a main dish if nobody's watching.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g back bacon fried in the pan to a single 25g rasher
Using just one rasher gives you enough bacon fat to coat the veg and leaves a whiff of smoke, without flooding the dish with fat. You still get some flavour - and a bit of bacon to hunt for - but you won't need to mop the pan afterwards.
What it costs you. The smokiness is cut back seriously. It's not the bacon bomb the original is, but you don't lose it entirely. You might want to chop the bacon extra fine and fry it to a crisp for maximum punch.
Double cream swapped for 100g evaporated milk
Evaporated milk is the second trick - it's half the fat, still gives some creaminess, and thickens up if you let it bubble. The sweetcorn's natural starch helps fake a thicker finish.
What it costs you. The sauce gets a little chalky and not as lush. Cream is cream. Don't expect the finish to coat your tongue in quite the same way - you're trading silk for a lighter, slightly drier mouthfeel.
Sweetcorn stays, but onions and peppers cut by a third
With less fat and cream to smother them, scaling back the onions and peppers keeps the corn out front. The veg doesn't steam, it actually sautéed instead. The dish feels lighter without another pile of onions.
What it costs you. You lose a bit of sweetness and background. What you gain is every bite being mostly corn, not onion stew. No real hardship there.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 232 | 158 |
| Protein | 8.1g | 7.2g |
| Fat | 11.7g | 3.9g |
| Saturated fat | 6.5g | 1.7g |
| Carbohydrate | 28.7g | 28.1g |
| 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 Southern prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk.
The method is in the book
If you're judging this against a full-fat, double cream original, you'll notice what's missing: that deep, smoky hit from a rash of bacon and the silkiness cream brings. I can't give you both, but you will get something that feels proper with a sweet corn pop and just enough creamy sauce to drape over the lot. It isn't velvet, it's lighter but keeps the point of the dish - the corn shines, there's still a hint of smoke, and you'll have room on your plate for something fried and dangerous next to it. Is it as good? No, but it'll do when you want the spirit of maque choux but not the side order of regret.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Southern, along with 50 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.