Stir-fried cuttlefish with celery and carrot on rice
Tender scored cuttlefish stir-fried with crisp celery and carrot in a light, glossy sauce — fresh, moistening and quick, with very little oil.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Yin-deficient types are prone to a dry mouth, irritability and hot palms and soles in early winter. Cuttlefish nourishes yin and blood, celery clears heat and calms the liver, and carrot strengthens the spleen. Quickly stir-fried in little oil, it's fresh and moistening rather than heating, so you won't feel parched after lunch.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Cook the rice. Peel the membrane off the cuttlefish, score the inside in a crisscross pattern and slice. Marinate with a little salt and cornflour for 10 minutes.
- 2Blanch the cuttlefish in boiling water for 10 seconds until it curls, then refresh in cold water and drain.
- 3Heat the oil in a wok, fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, add the carrot and celery and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- 4Add the cuttlefish with the soy sauce, salt and sugar and toss quickly. Thicken lightly with a little cornflour mixed with water and serve with the rice.
Cautions
- Cuttlefish is fairly high in cholesterol — use a smaller portion if yours runs high.
Chef's tips
- Blanch the cuttlefish for just 10 seconds and stir-fry it fast; overcooking makes it rubbery.
The TCM view
Cuttlefish is salty and neutral, nourishing blood and yin and benefiting the stomach; celery is sweet, bitter and cool, clearing heat, calming the liver and draining water; carrot is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and nourishing the liver; a little ginger and garlic warm the stomach. Light and balanced, it nourishes yin without heaviness.
