"Excellent!" shrieked the palace chef as he addressed his young apprentice: "Carrot!, Tomás! That's the perfect trio!" shouted the chef in appreciation of Tomás' culinary genius in adding thin slices of baby carrot to the two vegetables (asparagus and onion).
Well ... the king had overheard this loud outburst and, thereafter, insisted on the palace always serving the region's first culinary offering that honored the rich black rice of this fertile valley: "Karotomus" (the new chef dared not correct the king's spelling, nor reveal the unintended naming).
Ingredients:1 cup scoups of chilled, cooked black rice
1 cup scoups of the veggie trio
(chopped carrots, asparagus, onion)
Directions:
Prepare black rice according to package instructions, allow to cool slightly, drizzle on 3 tbsp virgin olive oil, stir well, then sprinkle on 1/2 tsp garlic granules and 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
In 1 1/2 cup heat-resistant bowls (the palace used ovens to heat these personal servings), distribute a scoup of chilled black rice around the sides and bottom of the serving dishes. To compress the rice slightly, press on the sides with a spoon and on the bottom with a bamboo cup (or jar).
Carefully fill each bowl with the carrot medley, creating a well-rounded top, then cover and refrigerate until serving time (in our modern era, a heat-resistant bowl turned upside down on top of the rice bowl is ideal for a 3-minute, high-power cycle in the microwave).
Note: Various herbs and spices may be used to embellish this dish, but virgin olive, salt & pepper are the traditional favorites. However, regional sauces are graciously provided for guests whose palates prefer such culinary nativity.
Rod
A certain commercial butter* is simply too easy to adapt to a tasty garlic butter spread:
teased the king as they trudged away. Since much of the discordant chatter on the way to the beach was redolent of "expletives deleted", it was edited out of this narrative.
(too much tasting)
In fairness, however, BDVB (spell backwards for the king's garment) was an impromptu test of these flavors and textures, featuring baked bananas and black rice. The test was successful: a bit sweet and oily but good combination of stuff. I would reduce the olive oil to 2 tbsp (coconut manna also provides oil) and just drizzle it over the cabbage ... or skip the olive oil entirely. Also, the brown sugar could be reduced to 1/3 cup since the baked bananas provide generous sweetness. 
Bottom line: another recipe for black rice that I would consider whenever three or four bananas were still waiting to be consumed and my palate was begging for a sweet serving of something ... anything. Interestingly, this recipe needs little adaptation to be served as a main dish dessert (baked bananas and whipped cream are a happy pair - even happier with chopped walnuts). 
Long story short (because nap time approaches) ...
But the experience had residual value:
I would have never thought of that combination but some of the best flavour combinations have been a surprise. I may make the "Chocolate Sawdust" a little later. I wonder how well it would hold together as a snack type bar? 
How to recycle those plastic shopping bags (reuse them) without their "Been there! Done that!" appearance?
)
Thank goodness Rod, another food wizard is on the case... and with some great sounding dishes too... 
