, Step by step
Sauté squid with pak choi and ginger
Quick sauté squid, packed full of flavor!
Method
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Step 1
The squid should be cooked either hot and quick or slow and long - anywhere between will make in chewy and tough.
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Step 2
Once you have cut off the tentacles of the squid, feel around on the inside of the squid's body for a long, plastic-like shard called the 'quill' and pull it out. Cut the body in half lengthways from the pointed tail to the body cavity, then cut these into large chunks.
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Step 3
Marinate the squid in the soy sauce, chopped garlic and grated ginger.
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Step 4
Cut the pak choy, spring onions and asparagus into chunks and cut the cucumber and into 1cm dice. Place these into a large bowl along with the cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion and sugar snaps.
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Step 5
Heat a large wok and add 20ml of sesame oil. Fry the squid for 30 seconds and drain into a dish.
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Step 6
Place the remaining 20ml of sesame oil into the wok and fry the chilli and crushed garlic. Add the vegetables prepared earlier and cook for 1 minute, then add the squid.
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Step 7
Serve between 4 plates and drizzle with soy sauce.
Nutrition
Squid, classified as a mollusc like mussels and scallops, is high in protein and low in fat and calories.
It’s also a good source of the beneficial omega 3 fatty acids, which are important for both heart and general health.
Squid is also a good source of important trace elements – zinc, copper and selenium. The average UK diet contains too little selenium – it’s important for the body’s immune system and antioxidant defence system that protects the body against damage to cells. Eating seafood is one of the best ways of getting more of this mineral into your diet.
Mark has combined the squid with loads of delicious vegetables to create a healthy dish. Stir frying the vegetables really helps to preserve the vitamins in them and this dish provides the equivalent of more than three portions of the recommended 5 a day.
DR JULIET GRAY, COMPANY NUTRITIONIST