"Arancini have been part of traditional southern Italian cuisine for centuries," says chef and host of Cook Like An Italian, Silvia Colloca. "These balls of deep-fried rice may be the signature dish of Sicily."
Although the Sicilians have a stronghold on arancini, variations are found all over Italy. From rice flavoured with saffron, to fillings of mushroom, scamorza, mozzarella and ragu, arancini are versatile.
Arancini are not particularly hard to make, but there are a few key things to know. You need to treat the rice correctly and fry them the right way.
We share tips from Silvia Colloca, her friend and arancini master, Silvana Gigliotti, and founder and chef of Melbourne's iconic Grossi Florentino restaurant, Guy Grossi.
The key is not to rush
You can't rush if you want to make great arancini. One of the most important things to remember is that arancini ingredients need to be cold during assembly. That includes both the rice and any fillings
Like Rome, good, traditional arancini with ragu can't be made in a day. When it comes to these meaty arancini, the ragu needs to be put in the fridge overnight to keep its form. "If you mix your cooked rice with a sauce that is not set it just makes everything too soft," says Colloca.
There's also a way to be particularly resourceful when making arancini. "It's a lovely way to use risotto leftover from the day before," says Grossi. Keep this in mind when planning your next risotto night.
Make sure you're using the right rice
Carnaroli or arborio rice are the ideal rice varieties for arancini. These kinds of rice contain far more starch than long-grain rice. This means the arancini can properly bind together and they'll be easier to shape. It also gives them the creamy texture they're known for.
When Gigliotti's three kids were younger, she'd make arancini weekly. Hence why Colloca calls on her during an episode of Cook Like An Italian. Gigliotti says don't rinse the rice before cooking. "We want the starch to stay in the [cooking] water," says Gigliotti. Starchy, sticky rice means that arancini are less likely to fall apart when it comes to frying time.
Putting the arancini together is quite choreographic
For crunch time, make sure you have all your ingredients ready to go and laid out in a logical order so you're not fumbling all over the place.
To form arancini balls, wet your hands, place some rice in your palm, compress it and make a little groove in the centre with your finger. Then add your filling of choice in the centre before putting more rice on top.
Using both hands, shape the arancini into a ball or pear shape. Dip the arancini in some egg and cover with breadcrumbs. Try and make your arancini all the same size so they can fry evenly.
Be particularly mindful at frying time
Colloca, Gigliotti and Grossi all fry arancini in olive oil. Grossi says, "Get the oil up to 160°C but no more than that. Otherwise you'll burn the outsides very quickly.".
Place three or four arancini in the oil at a time so they cook evenly and the temperature of the oil doesn't change too much. Buon appetito.
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