This easy step-by-step arancini balls recipe shows you how to make arancini from scratch.
Arancini, or rice arancini balls, are one of the most recognized Sicilian foods throughout the world.
These crisp, golden little nuggets are typically served as a snack or street food throughout Sicily.
Arancini balls are delicious, crispy, deep fried Italian balls of rice with a meat sauce and two cheese cheese filling and crunchy breadcrumb coating. These soft and crunchy balls are so cute and tasty it is worth your time to make these.
Ingredients
Risotto
1½ cups Arborio rice (uncooked)
3¼ cups cold water
2 stock cubes. (Vegetable)
1 Tbsp butter
Arancini
250 grams lean minced beef
2 or 3 eggs, whisked with a fork.
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt, Pepper to taste
Coating
Flour
Egg wash (1 egg to 1 Tbsp water)
Bread Crumbs (Plain)
Oil for deep frying
Instructions
Risotto
Put the rice in a heavy bottom saute pan, and add cold water, stock cubes, and the 1 Tbsp of butter.
Bring to a boil over high heat.
Immediately, give one stir and cover.
Turn the heat to low. (As low as possible) Leave the pan on the burner for 20 minutes without stirring or opening the pan.
After 20 minutes, open pan, and fluff rice with a fork. Rice for this dish should be slightly sticky. If rice is too dry or fluffy, add a tablespoon of water, and place back on low heat for a few more minutes.
When rice is thoroughly cooked and sticky, let covered pan cool to room temperature.
Cook The Meat
While rice is cooling, cook minced beef in an open Frypan until it is thoroughly cooked.
Crumble cooked minced beef finely.
Drain cooked meat in a colander and discard fat.
Combine Everything
Mix cooled rice, meat, cheeses, and melted butter.
Taste mixture and correct seasonings by adding salt and pepper to taste. (I use a lot of pepper, some people add a little oregano here.)
Add beaten eggs, and then mix thoroughly. You want the mixture to be about the consistency of play dough, albeit lumpy.
Notes
There is not as much work as it appears to be. Cooking the rice is largely unattended, and a batch normally takes me an hour, once the rice is cool.
Rice balls can be refrigerated for 3 - 4 days, and served warm.
Arancini Balls Recipe Variations
Substitute vegetable stock cubes for beef or chicken.
Arancini Balls Serving Suggestions
Goes very well with a rich aioli dipping sauce.
Arancini Balls are a popular finger food or appetiser, with a little tomato sauce on the side for dipping is very good.
Serve plain, or place on tray with a little tomato sauce and garnish with basil.
Serve as a main with coleslaw and a leafy salad.
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