Golden brown with melted cheese in the center.
I always make too much risotto. Always. I think that part of me figures that if I’m going to put all that effort into tending to its creation, we’re all going to eat a ton.
Nope. Never happens.
If you’ve ever tried to reheat risotto, it’s disappointing. Frozen risotto is downright gross, but even refrigerated risotto is… well, just not quite right.
This explains why the Italians make arancini di riso: fried risotto balls. They’re so easy to make that I don’t understand why I’d never made them before.
I used my recipe for mixed grain risotto, but I’m fairly certain that it would work just as well with an all-barley risotto or a classic arborio recipe (follow the same instructions, but simply use all arborio rice).
Special equipment: ice cream scoop for uniform sizing; spatter shield for frying.
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover risotto
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Panko bread crumbs
- Mozzarella cheese cut into tiny cubes, or string cheese cut into 1 cm discs
- Enough canola oil to fill a frying pan about 2 cm (3/4 inch) deep
Ready for frying.
Instructions
I set up my work station as follows, from left to right: risotto bowl; cheese plate; egg bowl; bread crumbs plate; plate or cutting board to hold the completed rice balls.
You want to keep the risotto balls on the smallish side, like a small meatball, not much more than 1 inch or 3 cm across. Too big, and the risotto will not heat all the way through, and the mozzarella won’t melt.
Take one scoop full of risotto. Bury the mozzarella in the center of the ball. Roll the rice ball like a meatball.
Dip the ball into the egg and coat. Transfer the wet ball to the plate of breadcrumbs. Use your dry hand to drop handfuls of bread crumbs over the wet ball. Shake off excess. Place on the Plate of Finished Rice Balls.
Repeat until you run out of risotto. Refrigerate the balls for 20 minutes to help them stick together.
Heat your oil until shimmering and a loose grain of rice tossed into the oil bubbles and browns.
Gently add the balls to the oil, one at a time, being careful to shield yourself from oil splash back. Allow the balls to cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
Transfer cooked balls to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with a light dusting of salt. (All fried foods benefit from a shot of salt.)
Serve warm.
A bit time-consuming, but since you start with leftovers they're absolutely doable on a weeknight.
Results
The Tiny Kitchen Assistant eyed it skeptically. I was convinced that he wasn’t going to eat it, but as I gathered the last items to put on the table, I noticed that his risotto ball was missing a big bite, like an apple. “This is GOOD!” he shouted. “Mommy, this is… what is this? It’s good! Make that one again, and put it on the blog.”
The Husband was impressed, and regaled the Tiny Kitchen Assistant with the story of the first time he ever had one of these risotto balls on a trip to Italy. Needless to say, the Tiny Kitchen Assistant now wants to visit there.
Tags: easy, fried, kid-friendly, leftovers, Recipe, RICE, risotto, stovetop
Cooking
Fitness
Health