Italian Fried Rice Balls (Arancini)
Fried rice balls filled with mozzarella cheese, crispy on the outside and tender within. Best served with tomato sauce.
Ingredients
olive oil
1 tsp
onion (diced)
1 tbsp
arborio rice
60 g
chicken broth or vegetable stock
250 ml
parmesan cheese (grated)
3 tbsp
salt
to taste
black pepper
to taste
mozzarella cheese (cut into 5 cubes of 1.5 cm)
150 g
dry breadcrumbs
2 tbsp
egg (beaten with a pinch of salt)
1
oil (for frying)
to taste
Instructions
1
Cook the rice
Heat 1 tsp olive oil and saute the diced onion until fragrant. Add the rice and broth, then simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.
2
Chill
Let the cooked rice cool down, then chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or until firm.
3
Form the filling
Divide the rice into 5 portions and shape into balls. Press a hole in the center of each rice ball, place a cube of mozzarella inside, and seal completely with rice.
4
Coat
Mix the remaining parmesan cheese with the breadcrumbs. Dip each rice ball in the beaten egg, then roll in the breadcrumb mixture until fully coated.
5
Fry
Fry the rice balls for about 5 minutes, until golden brown on all sides.
