Origin
The credit for making it alternates between Japanese and Italians; however, it originated in Japan. The samurai there consumed onigiri, a seaweed-covered rice cake that was stuffed and carried inside bamboos to prevent spoilage. Likewise, there was mochi, the softer, sweeter variation of the Japanese rice cake. All of this took place between the ninth and twelfth centuries, so you can’t really credit the Italians since they didn’t start making risotto until the eleventh century, which also happens to be when arancini first started to appear.
It is a great recipe for making something out of leftover rice, and it should make around 30 rice cakes.
Ingredients
| You will need: |
|---|
| 2 Cups of cooked rice |
| 3 Eggs |
| ½ Cup of grated cheese |
| ½ Cup of milk |
| ½ Cup of flour |
| ½ Cup of corn starch |
| 1 tbsp. of baking powder |
| 2 tbsp. of fresh parsley |
| Black Pepper to taste |
| Oregano to taste |
| Salt to taste |
| Frying oil |
Method
| To make: |
|---|
| 1. In a container, mix all the ingredients until you create a firm, full-bodied dough. |
| 2. Shape the dumplings into balls. |
| 3. Heat up the oil until it is ready (you can check if it’s ready by placing a wooden stick in the pan, and if it bubbles around the bottom of the wooden stick, then it should be ready). |
| 4. Fry them in the hot oil, until they are golden. |
| 5. Drain them on kitchen paper towels to absorb the oil. |
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