Miso Rice with Carrots, Peas and Grape Tomatoes

This is a lovely and simple rice dish to serve alongside a Japanese meal, such as Lucy's adzuki croquettes, and if you use a dark miso like hatcho it will very much resemble a fried rice both in taste and appearance. You can use a sticky Japanese rice, but the miso will make any kind of rice grain sticky anyway.

Miso rice with carrots, peas and cherry tomatoes

1 cup basmati rice
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon miso
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas (thawed if frozen)
2 green onions, finely sliced
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Rinse the rice and let it air dry for half an hour before cooking.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice and diced carrot, and immediately turn the heat down to low and cover. Cook for exactly 15 minutes without disturbing, then remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, add a few drops of water to the miso to make it more malleable. When the rice is finished, stir in the miso along with the peas, green onions and cherry tomatoes. Mix in the rice vinegar, and serve hot with a small bowl of tamari sauce on the side.