The thought of how to make plain rice interesting and a standalone dish on its own merit has often found space in my culinary thoughts. If a lot of veggies are involved, the dish works brilliantly, but it involves quite a bit of prep time depending upon the cut of each vegetable. This recipe was relatively easier to make and also had an interesting flavor combination tossed in .

Recipe for Cucumber and Corn Rice

Serves : 2-3
Ingredients :

• 1 large cucumber peeled, deseeded and cut into medium sized pieces
• 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 tomato cut into medium sized pieces
• 90 gms of Feta cheese
• Mint leaves
• 1.2 cups of rice
• 2 tsp oil
• Black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable stock [optional]

Method:

• Add oil to a non-stick pan. Once the oil is warm (not hot) add the onions, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook on a low flame until soft and transparent
• Add the rice to the pan. Stir and cook till the rice becomes semi-transparent
• Add either vegetable stock or water. For 1 cup of rice, add 2 cups of the liquid. Cover the pan and cook on a low flame
• When the rice is par-cooked, add the cucumber and corn pieces. Taste and adjust the salt. Cover and cook till the rice is cooked through and the liquid is absorbed
• Turn off the flame, wait a few minutes and gently fluff the rice with a fork
• Add in the chopped tomato, feta cheese and freshly crushed black pepper and gently fold in
• Serve hot with a mint leaf garnish (and more feta cheese!)

Tips :

• Rice is hard to salt correctly once cooked. The cooking liquid should be salted well or the rice and cucumber will be bland
• Also, bear in mind that Feta cheese is quite salty. If you prefer a low-salt dish, reduce the salt in the rice
• Do not overcook the vegetables. The cucumber and tomatoes just need to be just cooked
• If you want a stronger mint taste, add finely chopped mint leaves when you add stock / water to the rice
• For those staying in Singapore, I use the 180 gms of box of Feta cheese from NTUC