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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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).

View a handy guide to cooking grains here...