Tomatoes with miso, spring onion and toasted buckwheat

Tender fruit, savoury dressing and crunchy grains

This cold side dish is all about firm, ripe tomatoes that hold their shape when tossed. Wedges give you a pleasing balance of juicy flesh and skin, but with smaller tomatoes you can also cut thick slices. Tomatoes are often at their most flavourful in late summer; out of season, it’s worth choosing well-ripened ones and bringing them to room temperature before cutting. Cold tomatoes have a less pronounced flavour.

White miso is mild and slightly sweet, with enough umami to complement the tomato’s sweet, fresh flavour. Rice vinegar brightens the dressing without overpowering the tomatoes. Miso varies in saltiness and thickness from brand to brand, so first whisk the dressing until smooth and taste it before pouring it over the tomatoes. A little water makes it easy to coat them; extra salt usually isn’t needed. It’s best not to use dark, long-aged miso if you want to preserve this dish’s delicate flavour and colour.

Toast the buckwheat groats in a dry frying pan; don’t boil them. Move the groats around regularly so they colour evenly and develop a toasted, nutty aroma. Take them out of the pan as soon as they smell fragrant and start to darken in places; let them cool so they stay crisp. Use whole, raw buckwheat groats, not buckwheat flour or cooked buckwheat. Finely slice the spring onion so its fresh flavour is distributed over the tomatoes without any large, sharp-tasting bites.

Gently toss the tomatoes with the dressing and give them about ten minutes to absorb the flavour. Marinating them for longer makes the wedges softer and releases more liquid. Add the spring onion and buckwheat just before serving: that way the onion stays fresh and the buckwheat keeps its crunch. If you want to prepare the dish ahead, toast the buckwheat and make the dressing separately; cut and briefly marinate the tomatoes shortly before eating.

Serve the tomatoes alongside grilled vegetables, tofu or a bowl of rice. The tangy dressing cuts nicely through richer, toasted flavours, while the groats add a crisp contrast to the soft tomatoes. Leftovers can be covered and kept in the fridge, but the buckwheat will soften and the tomatoes will release liquid. So store the toasted groats separately and scatter them over the rest just before serving; for the best texture, eat the dish the same day.