Arancini di Riso | Arancini Balls

Arancini di Riso, also known as Arancini balls is one of the most popular Italian dishes of all time.  Today I am sharing with you my recipe to make Arancini di Riso at home, in the easiest way possible. These Italian rice balls covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried will definitely make you wonder why you never tried them before. Enjoy them as snack, entree or mains.

Even though the cook time is minimal, the prep work takes some time. So, the key to making this dish without much hassle is to have all the ingredients prepared beforehand.

Ingredients

250 gm Arborio rice 

500 ml stock ( using stock cubes)

125 gm frozen peas 

120 gm Buffalo mozzarella 

250 ml Bolognese

2 eggs 

2 tbsp Extra Virgin EV olive oil 

250 gm bread crumbs 

50 ml milk 

1 tbsp sea salt 

½ tbsp cracked black pepper 

6 tbsp parmesan cheese  

500-1000 ml olive oil or canola oil for frying 

Instructions

Bring water to boil and dissolve a stock cube (we have used porcini mushroom stock cubes for this recipe, but you can use beef, chicken or vegetable stock cubes) in 500 ml water. 

Then, take the Arborio rice in a large bowl(not metal) and add the stock. Arborio is a short grain Italian rice best suited for this dish. Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap and put this in the microwave for 6 minutes.

Cooking tip 1: Place the bowl on a plate so when you take the bowl out you will not burn your fingers on the bowl. 

Add 1 tbsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp of cracked black pepper. Mix well. Cover with cling wrap again and put in the microwave for another 6 minutes.

Bring out the bowl and add the peas, parmesan cheese, buffalo mozzarella and the Bolognese. Mix well and let the mixture cool down before refrigerating for 2 hours. 

After 2 hours, take the bowl of rice mixture out from the fridge. In a different bowl, add the eggs and milk and mix briefly, and in a third bowl add the breadcrumbs. 

Take a small chunk of the rice mixture and roll it in your hands into a small ball, then dip it into the egg mixture and then dip the ball in the bread crumbs. Shake off any excess crumbs and place it on a tray. The size of the balls should be about the size of a golf ball when the balls are crumbed. Repeat this step till you have used all the rice mixture. 

Next, fill a large pot (thick bottom) with olive oil or canola oil and let the oil get hot, cook about 2-4 balls at the time till they are golden brown. It takes about 2-4 minutes. Just be very mindful that the oil gets very hot when deep frying.

Take them out and let them drain off on a plate or bowl with paper towel.  Serve with Napoli sauce or any other condiment of your choice and enjoy!

How did your Arancini di Riso turn out to be? Let us know in the comments below.

Have you tried our other authentic Italian recipes? Check out how to make Panna di Latte – Milk bread rolls?