When the heat is on, food deliberately goes very simple.

Because the last thing you want to do is crank up the oven, ignite all four burners, or linger one moment longer than necessary in a hot kitchen.

Still, that doesn’t mean you have to settle.

On the contrary, a dish like “Miso-Coconut Rice with Greens”may be a cinch to make in one pot on the stove or in a rice cooker, but it’s also soulfully satisfying.

The recipe is from the cookbook, “Cook Simply, Live Fully” (Harper), of which I received a review copy.

You just have to love the philosophy of that title, written by Yasmin Fahr, a New York Times recipe contributor and veteran cookbook author who spends most of her time on the Spanish island of Menorca.

The book includes 120 recipes that are wittily — and conveniently — arranged by your mood. There are recipes for “Lap Dinners” when you need nourishment but barely feel like making anything; “Coffee Table Dinners,” when you have a bit more time and energy; and “At the Dinner Table,” when you want a proper sit-down meal.

You’ll find the likes of “Limey Feta & Sumac Past” under “Lap Dinners”; “Spanish-Style Olive Oil-Poached Fish with Chickpeas” under “Coffee Table Dinners”; and “Skillet Eggplant Lasagna” under “At the Dinner Table.”

This easy rice dish fits neatly in the “Lap Dinners” chapter because it’s a one-bowl meal. Everything is cooked in one pot on the stove. Simply cook the jasmine or basmati rice with a can of coconut milk and a little water. When done, fluff the rice, and stir in miso, soy sauce, handfuls of spinach, and a squirt of lime juice. Top with fresh basil or cilantro leaves, and you’re good to go.

I took an even easier route by using my rice cooker. If you do the same, just know that you can skip adding the additional water, and should increase the rice amount by about 1/4 cup. I note that in the recipe below.

Fahr says to mash the miso into the rice, as you stir in the soy sauce. I decided to whisk the miso into the soy sauce in a separate small bowl first, then add it to the rice. That way, you won’t get any clumps. Fahr doesn’t give exact measurements for the miso and soy sauce. She just indicates “spoonfuls” without specifying if that’s teaspoons or tablespoons. I went with using tablespoon measures, which worked well. But feel free to adjust to your own personal taste.

What made this basic rice dish doubly flavorful was using San Francisco-based Shared Cultures’ small-batch miso, of which I had received samples.

For their small-batch misos made in the traditional way, co-founders Eleana Hsu and Kevin Gondo use local, seasonal, and mostly organic ingredients. You may be accustomed to miso coming in only three varieties: white, yellow and red/brown. But Shared Cultures’ turns that on its head by creating wildly imaginative ones with deep and complex flavors, such as red shishito miso, morel mushroom miso, butter bean white miso, and even cocoa nib miso.

They are thick pastes that are smooth yet have bits here and there of their star ingredients. The Mirepoix Modern Miso ($20 for a 6-ounce jar) combines roasted onions, carrots and celery and ferments them with koji, Koda Farms organic rice, and Rancho Gordo chickpeas. It’s salty, but seemingly less so than other misos, maybe because the sweetness of the caramelized veggies add greater balance. One taste from the jar, and my mind immediately went to wanting to add a spoonful to a tomato-sauce pasta or paella.

The Black Garlic Modern Miso ($20 for a 6-ounce jar or $6 for a 1-ounce jar) is made with Gilroy garlic that’s been fermented until it turns black and sticky. The garlic is then fermented with koji, rice, and Rancho Gordo midnight black beans. This is an umami bomb that’s almost meaty rich tasting. It is reminiscent of Chinese black bean sauce but with hints of molasses and balsamic vinegar. It would turn any kind of meat dish that much more robust.

The Corn Miso ($20 for a $6 ounce jar) features roasted Brentwood corn fermented with koji, rice, and Rancho Gordo butter beans. You can even see pieces of corn kernels in it. The taste is like roasty-toasty buttered corn that’s a little salty, a little sweet, and a little nutty.

The Corn Miso was my pick for using in this rice dish. It added a nice subtle sweetness and buttery quality to the already unctuous, coconut-y rice.

Steamed rice inherently possesses a comforting quality to it. Throw coconut milk, miso, and some fresh herbs into the mix, and the contentment level only rises.

To make the rice even more substantial, Fahr suggests adding garnishes of nori strips, toasted sesame seeds, scallions or chili crisp. You could even top with cubes of seared tofu or sauteed shiitakes, too.

Or do what I did, which was dot on just a little more of that delicious miso.

Miso-Coconut Rice with Greens

(Serves 2; can easily be doubled for 4)

1 cup basmati or jasmine rice (see Note)

1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk

2 spoonfuls soy sauce

1 spoonful white miso paste

2 or 3 handfuls of baby spinach , or more as desired

1 lime, halved

1 or 2 sprigs cilantro or basil, leaves and tender stems (optional)

Pour the rice and coconut milk into a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, then fill the coconut milk can one-quarter of the way (about 1/4 cup) with room-temperature water and add it to the pan. Stir and cook over high heat until the liquid starts to bubble, breaking up any coconut milk clumps. Cover and reduce the heat to low; if you do peek, there should be small bubbles forming across the surface of the liquid, through try to limit how many times you open it, if you can. Cover until most of the liquid is gone and the rice is tender, 10 to 12 minutes more.

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce with the miso with a fork or whisk, breaking up any clumps. Remove pot of rice from the heat. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to to stir in the soy sauce-miso mixture, and spinach, until the soy sauce mixture looks like it has tinted the rice a light brown. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir again, checking to see if you see any clumps of miso lingering behind. Squeeze the juice of l lime into it, then season as needed with more salt. Spoon into dishes and gently tear cilantro leaves and top, if using.

Note: If using a rice cooker, omit the 1/4 cup water and add an additional 1/4 cup of basmati or jasmine rice.

Adapted from “Cook Simply, Live Fully” by Yasmin Fahr

More Recipes Using Miso: Hummus and White Miso

And: Sweet Potato Rolls with Miso

And: Miso Chicken

And: Creamy Miso Pasta with Shrimp

And: Miso Brown Butter and Crispy Sage Pasta

And: Shells with Miso Butter and Scallions

And: Chile Miso Pork Stew by Ming Tsai

And: Miso Pork Stuffed Eggplant

And: Romaine Hearts with Miso-Mustard Dressing

And: Miso-Glazed Fish

And: Charred Cabbage with Miso and Lime

And: Green Beans with Miso and Almonds

And: Miso-Butter Onions by Yotam Ottolenghi

And: Seared Miso Mushrooms

And: Broiled Miso Tofu by Heidi Swanson

And: Waffled Miso-Sesame Tofu