Cucumber and Corn Rice with Feta and Mint
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