Garlic Prawn and Spinach Stir-Fry

1. Start the rice first: cook it in plenty of boiling water for 25 to 30 minutes until tender, then drain. If using a pouch, heat it at the end.
2. Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper (paper towels). Wet prawns steam instead of searing, and steamed prawns go rubbery.
3. Warm the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat and add the garlic and chilli. Take it slowly: a minute or two until the garlic is pale gold and smells sweet. Burnt garlic is bitter and there is no rescuing it.
4. Turn the heat up. Add the prawns in one layer and leave them alone for 60 seconds, then turn them. They are done when they turn opaque and curl into a loose C. A tight O means they have gone too far.
5. Lift the prawns out onto a plate. Add the spinach to the same pan and turn it for about a minute until it collapses.
6. Return the prawns, add the spring onions, squeeze over the lemon, season, and serve on the rice.

Prawns are one of the densest everyday sources of two minerals that sit directly on the hormone pathway, and they cook in ninety seconds, which is why this dish exists.

Prawns carry both zinc and selenium. Zinc holds an authorised claim for contributing to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood; selenium holds one for normal spermatogenesis. Neither claim means a portion of prawns changes anything by itself. They mean these are the minerals where a genuine shortfall shows up, and where food is a steadier fix than a capsule.

They also deliver about 29g of protein per serving for under 400 calories, which is a useful ratio on a weeknight.

Slicing the garlic rather than crushing it is deliberate here. Crushed garlic releases far more allicin and burns much faster in a hot pan; sliced garlic can take the slow start this method needs.

Brown rice rather than white keeps the fibre and slows the glucose response. If you cook it ahead, cool it within an hour, keep it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours, reheating it once until steaming hot; some of the starch becomes resistant starch, which feeds gut bacteria and lowers the response further.

More on the foods that carry these minerals: the testosterone foods list.