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Serves 6. Buckwheat is very light when prepared this way, almost like a warm salad. Ingredient tips: Sriracha is a common, fiery red Thai-food condiment; Mirin is Japanese cooking wine. Look for both in the Asian food aisle. Prep tips: When peppery daikon sprouts are not available, substitute microgreens or very thinly slivered scallions. If calamari tentacles creep you out, just use the bodies.
1 pound calamari
¼ cup flax oil
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup brown rice vinegar
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 cup buckwheat
½ red onion, very finely diced
1 roasted red bell pepper, finely diced
1 large ripe mango, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 bunch scallions (7-8 green onions), sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup daikon radish sprouts
- Prepare calamari: Separate tentacles from bodies. Pinch out the tough inner cartilage, leaving only tender flesh. Slice crosswise into rings about ¼-inch thick. Recombine tentacles with sliced rings and keep cool until serving time.
- Whisk together oil, soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, lime juice, and sriracha sauce. Set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add buckwheat. Return to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook until buckwheat is just tender, 10-15 minutes. Add calamari and stir, just until it turns opaque, about 1 minute. Drain immediately and return mixture to the pot.
- Add soy-sauce mixture, red onion, bell pepper, mango, scallions, and cilantro; toss thoroughly and salt to taste. Divide between four plates and mound daikon radish sprouts on top. Serve at once.
PER SERVING: 306 cal, 33% fat cal, 11g fat, 1g sat fat, 176mg chol, 17g protein, 37g carb, 5g fiber, 160mg sodium
As a former personal chef, Alan Roettinger's signature achievement has been inventing dishes that are both healthy and palate thrilling. His new book is Omega-3 Cuisine (Book Publishing, 2008).