This recipe is from The Flygerians Cookbook by Jo and Jess Edun. Jess and Jo Edun are bringing the sweet taste of Nigeria to the UK food scene. This, their first cookbook delivers recipes for home-cooked dishes for anyone who loves to eat and wants to experience the uniquely delicious tastes of West African food. Buy your copy here!
The Flygerians created this Jollof Arancini recipe when trying to use up leftovers at Christmas – there is always that point over the break where you become fed up with eating the same Christmas food. So, they created this recipe to find an inventive way to eat the rest of the seasonal stock.
INGREDIENTS
- 7 chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed/minced
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 4 chives, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
- 500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. leftover Jollof Rice
- 4 UK medium/US large eggs, beaten
- 50 g/2 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
- a handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 125 g/4½ oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
- 500 g/6 cups dried breadcrumbs
- 1 litre/4 cups vegetable oil, for deep frying, plus extra to sauté the filling
- salt
- hot sauce of your choice, to serve (optional)
Makes 10-15 Arancini
METHOD
MAKE THE FILLING
Add a little bit of oil to a frying pan/skillet over a medium heat. Fry the mushrooms, garlic, shallot and chives for 3–4 minutes. Add the mixed herbs, season with salt and stir to combine. Set aside until needed.
MIX IT
In large mixing bowl, mix the leftover jollof rice with 2 of the beaten eggs, the Parmesan and parsley, ensuring the egg has evenly coated the rice and you achieve a sticky texture.
GET SHAPING
Take a small handful of the rice mixture and flatten it in the palm of your hand. Place a cube of mozzarella cheese and a pinch of the mushroom filling in the centre of the flattened patty.
Form a ball with the rice mixture around the stuffing, ensuring that the rice mixture completely seals the filling. Repeat the process with the remaining rice and fillings until it has all been used.
Coat each rice ball thoroughly in the remaining beaten eggs, then evenly cover the coated rice balls with breadcrumbs.
LET’S FRY
Heat the vegetable oil to 180°C/350°F in a deep pan or deep-fat fryer. To test if the oil is ready for frying if you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small piece of bread into the pan. If it sizzles and browns straight away, it’s ready; if not heat for a little longer.
Fry the coated rice balls in batches for about 3–4 minutes until golden brown and crispy all over. Transfer the fried arancini to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
LET’S CHOP!
Serve the arancini hot with hot sauce for dunking, if you like.
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