Italian Rice Balls

Julesong's Note:

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.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 20 balls, ...

• 2 eggs
• 1⁄3; cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt , to taste (recipe originally called for 1 tsp)
• 2 ¼ cups low sodium chicken broth or 2 ¼ cups water
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 ½ cups dried breadcrumbs
• 2 cups olive oil or 2 cups vegetable oil
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese , in cubes (optional)

Directions:

1. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, Parmesan cheese, basil or parsley (I prefer basil), pepper, and salt; cover and refrigerate.
2. 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, cover and reduce the heat to low.
3. Cook the rice until liquid is almost absorbed, about 15 to 17 minutes.
4. 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.
5. Pour bread crumbs into a shallow dish.
6. Dampen your hands with water and create 1-inch balls from the rice mixture, then coat each one with bread crumbs.
7. 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.
8. Fry the rice balls 4 to 6 at a time, turning as needed to ensure even browning.
9. Drain on paper towels, then serve warm as is or with a bit of marinara sauce.
10. Another nice touch you can use with these is to put a small cube of mozzarella cheese in the middle of each rice ball!

Reviews

[sunsetcherie_12326109]

My Good Italian friend told me about these, and the next day I made them. I found them easy to make , no problem with the rice holding together. I added some Garlic salt and Chopped Basil that added some Flavor. I used a Ice-cream scoop to make my balls which helped with the size being consistant and also you have to have a bowl of water to keep your hands wet while forming your balls....They were Awesome and I can see they will be a New Favorite in my house !!!!!

[Dolshea]

I made these two days ago for the first time, my family loved them. I ended up making them again last night. I used Ricotta cheese last night- would not recommend using it again, the rice balls did not stick together very well. Over all my family loved them and I have a very pickly eater and she said to definately make them again :)

[CM #2]

These were pretty good, but could have used more flavor, perhaps some Italian seasoning and more salt. If you're using cheese, cube it to 1/4 inch or smaller, but next time I'll try grating it and mixing into the hot rice for a better consistency bite to bite. They were a little difficult to form at first, it definitely requires a light touch, but if you cup them between your fingers (one hand over the other) so that as much of the surface area is covered as possible, they come together fairly well.