Arancini is a classic Italian street food, essentially just deep-fried rice balls (apparently, arancini literally translates to 'little orange', pretty appropriate considering its shape and color). The star of this dish is the contrast in textures - the rich, creamy risotto is amazing with the crisp exterior. Just like risotto, this dish is super customizable. I made a fairly simple risotto with a tomato sauce, but it works just as well with mozzarella, meat, tomato sauce, mushrooms, peas, and much more. My arancini was perhaps not the most visually appealing but it tasted amazing!
Active Time: 1 hr 20 min
Total Time: 4 hr
> (Ingredients for risotto)
> Eggs
> Flour
> Breadcrumbs (I used panko)
> Oil for frying
1. Cook the risotto (see the recipe for risotto!). Feel free to add any additional flavorings or elements as you wish, such as peas, pancetta, mushrooms, etc.
2. Spread the risotto over parchment paper in a flat baking pan, and cool in the fridge. Cool at a minimum two hours, and at most for one day.
3. Once the risotto is fully cooled, heat up oil to roughly 350 degrees F (the exact temperature doesn't matter too much, as long as you're in the ballpark; things should immediately lightly sizzle once you drop them into the oil). Prepare all-purpose flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in separate bowls.
4. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop up risotto and form into a ball. Repeat. Freeze for around 15 minutes.
5. You are ready to fry! Dredge the risotto ball in flour, then egg, and finally breadcrumbs. Lightly settle the arancini into the frying pot. Cook until golden-brown and crispy, probably around 1-2 minutes each, depending on how hot your oil is. Remove and set over a paper towel.
6. Serve and enjoy!
> A lot of arancini variants actually have some filling in the middle, such as mozzarella or meat sauce. To make that, simply flatten the 1/4 cup of risotto into a 2-inch patty, place the filling in the middle, and wrap the rice around it. The rest of the steps are essentially the same.
> A popular filling is mozzarella - doubling down on the contrast in textures and gooey center. In that case, you'll probably want to decrease the temperature of the oil so that the center has an opportunity to heat up somewhat before the outside is well-fried.
> For simpler variants like the one I made (which really has nothing special, other than a bit of lemon zest that I added), it goes very well with acidic, tangy sauces. A good tomato-based sauce or aioli will pair well.