Miso vegetables with rice and black sesame dressing

This recipe takes a while to prepare (mostly due to chopping), but the end result is a healthy, warming meal that will please your stomach. I double (or sometimes even triple) the sauce for this recipe because I love sauce. Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty More.

Ingredients

• 300 g sushi rice
• 1 T dashi stock powder (or other powdered stock)
• 3 T soy sauce
• 3 T mirin
• 60 g dark red miso paste
• 1 T caster sugar
• 220 g broccolini, trimmed and cut in half widthways (if on the thick side, cut in half lengthways, too)
• 165 g buna shimeji mushrooms, divided into small clumps
• 1 large carrot, cut into thin batons (the original recipe calls for 0.5 cm by 6 cm)
• 50 g sugar snap peas, but into thin strips lengthways
• 100 g cucumber, cut into thin batons (the original recipe calls for 0.5 cm by 6 cm)
• 1 small handful of coriander leaves
• 40 g toasted peanuts, finely chopped
• 15 g black sesame seeds (use white if you can’t get hold of black)
• 2 T rice vinegar
• 2 t maple syrup
• 2 t peanut oil
• 1 t chilli flakes

Instructions

1. Soak the rice for 15 minutes in cold water.
2. Cook the rice: Place it in a lidded medium sized saucepan, pour in 375 ml of water, then cover and bring to a boil, turning the heat to a very low simmer.
3. Cook for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave covered for a further 15 minutes.
4. Combine the rice vinegar, maple syrup, peanut oil, and chilli flakes in a small bowl. Mix together well and set aside.
5. Pour another 375ml of water into a second, slightly larger sauce pan. Add the dashi powder, soy sauce, mirin, miso paste and sugar.
6. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then lower the heat to medium.
7. Add the broccolini, simmer for four minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a large bowl while you cook the other vegetables in the same liquid:
   • Add the mushrooms, cook for three minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside with the broccolini.
   • Add the carrot, cook for two minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside with the other vegetables.
   • Add the sugar snap peas, cook for one minute, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside with the other vegetables.
   • Lastly, add the cucumber, cook for 15 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside with the other vegetables.
8. When all the vegetables have been cooked and set aside, increase the temperature to medium high and reduce the liquid until it is thick and about half remains.
9. To serve, divide the rice between four bowls and place the vegetables on top. Spoon over the reduced cooking liquid, followed by the dressing. Finish with the coriander and serve immediately.