Italian Rice Balls Recipe #50265
Rice symbolizes prosperity and wealth, so rice balls are good for New Year's and wedding celebrations. I love these tasty little morsels, and they go well with many different kinds of food! I've served them with various meats and seafood, and they're always welcome at my table. :) Prep time includes chilling.
by Julesong
1¾ hours | 1½ hours prep
20 -24 balls, approx
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried basil or dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste (recipe originally called for 1 tsp)
- 2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth or water
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
- 1 1/2 cups dried breadcrumbs
- 2 cups olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, in cubes (optional)
- In a bowl whisk together the eggs, Parmesan cheese, basil or parsley (I prefer basil), pepper, and salt; cover and refrigerate.
- Pour the chicken broth (or water and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt) into a large saucepan and bring to a boil; stir in the rice and reduce the heat to low.
- Cook the rice until liquid is almost absorbed, about 15 to 17 minutes.
- Remove from heat and gradually pour in egg mixture, continually stirring rapidly to coat the surface of the rice and prevent the egg from scrambling; allow rice mixture to cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Pour bread crumbs into a shallow dish.
- Dampen your hands with water and create 1-inch balls from the rice mixture, then coat each one with bread crumbs.
- In a small, deep skillet, heat enough oil to cover the rice balls to an adequate frying temperature (350 degrees F) so that a piece of rice from the mixture actively sizzles when dropped in; alternately, a deep fryer may be used.
- Fry the rice balls 4 to 6 at a time, turning as needed to ensure even browning.
- Drain on paper towels, then serve warm as is or with a bit of marinara sauce.
- Another nice touch you can use with these is to put a small cube of mozzarella cheese in the middle of each rice ball!
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5 stars