Rice and cheese Balls | Arancini

Make this Arancini | Rice and cheese balls with the rice that is available at your home. It is a quick and easy recipe and it can also be made ahead and frozen. Check out freezing tips below:
Arancini are Italian rice balls made with risotto. Risotto is Arborio rice (an Italian rice variety) cooked in broth and wine to a creamy consistency. The risotto is mixed with cheese and eggs, stuffed with additional cheese, and then coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried. It is then served with marinara sauce. The arancini are the inspiration for these rice balls but the difference is that this recipe uses the everyday things we have at home.

You might also like:

Mcdonald’s Veggie Burger | McAloo Tikki Burger (Crispy burger)

Beet and Veggie Cutlet | Crispy vegetable cutlet

Potato, Corn and Cheese Pops

Cheesy Garlic pull-apart Bread

How to use leftover rice?

Now you have one more leftover rice recipe in your collection.

It’s crisp on the outside, creamy on the inside with some vibrant colors from the teeny tiny vegetables.

Panko bread crumbs give it a beautiful and crispy texture.

How to make rice and cheese balls?

Step-by-step recipe with images:

Cut carrots, onions, and green chilies to very fine chunks. Sauté this in oil till almost cooked. You can skip the vegetables totally if you want.

Add salt as needed and then add cheese and the finely chopped cilantro. Mix it well.

Form it into small tight balls, about an inch in diameter. Try not to make it too big or else it will take longer to cook. Add additional cheese if you have difficulty forming a ball.

Dip the rice balls in beaten egg and coat them in bread crumbs.

How to freeze appetizers?

Arrange them half an inch apart on a tray lined with plastic wrap. Freeze for an hour.

Take the portion you need for frying and transfer the remaining rice balls into a freezer-safe bag for later use.

Fry on medium heat (350 Degrees Fahrenheit/175 Degrees Celsius) about a minute or two on each side, till the coating is golden brown.

Print

Rice and Cheese Balls | Arancinis

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

Make this Arancini | Rice and cheese balls with the rice that is available at your home. It is a quick and easy recipe and it can also be made ahead and frozen. Check out freezing tips below:

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Fusion

Keyword: arancini, rice and cheese balls, rice balls

Servings: 15

Author: Teena Agnel

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup Cilantro finely chopped
• 2 Eggs
• Salt to taste
• PREPARING VEGETABLES
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1/4 cup carrot finely chopped
• 1/4 cup onions finely chopped
• 2 green chilies finely chopped

Instructions

1. VEGETABLES (Optional)
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the vegetables. Sauté until the vegetable is almost cooked. Let it cool.
3. RICE BALLS
4. Add the cooked vegetables to the rice. Add salt. Taste and adjust as needed.
5. Add the cilantro and cheese and mix well. Add one lightly beaten egg and mix again.

6. Tightly roll the mixture into 1-inch diameter balls. If the mixture doesn't hold, then add some more mozzarella cheese.

7. Lightly beat another egg and dip the rice balls is it and coat it with bread crumbs.
8. Place them on a tray lined with plastic wrap with space between then. Transfer into the freezer for an hour.
9. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat (350 Degrees Fahrenheit/175 Degrees Celsius) and deep fry for about 2 minutes on each side till the coating is golden brown.
10. Serve with marinara sauce or ketchup.

Recipe Notes

I used leftover basmati rice, but slightly sticky rice is easy to work with.

If you are making rice specifically for rice balls, cook it with chicken or vegetable broth, a tablespoon of wine or rice vinegar and salt for additional flavor.

Adding vegetables is optional. You can also add a small cube of cheese between each rice balls.

It's important to freeze the rice balls before frying or else it could break and the cheese could ooze out and make the oil messy.

The oil should be on medium to medium-high heat or else the rice balls could break.

You can transfer the frozen rice balls to freezer-safe bags and freeze them for later use.

You can also use the cheese you have handy.