Jollof Rice Arancini

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Fusion, Ghanaian, West African

Keyword: arancini, jollof rice

Servings: 6 balls

2 cups of old jollof rice at room temperature
2 tbsp of finely chopped onions *
1 tbsp of chopped herbs I used basil and thyme *
1 tbsp of finely chopped bell peppers I used some leftovers from my peppered goat recipe *
1 tsp of jollof rice spice mix *
2-3 tbsp of plant-based milk
1 slice of vegan mozzarella cheese cut into small pieces optional
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of plant-based milk or water
2 cups of panko bread crumbs

This recipe is very customizable so these instructions serve as guidelines.
In a bowl, combine the jollof rice, onions, herbs, pepper, and spices, 1 tbsp of bread crumbs and mix well
If your jollof rice mixture is very dry, add in your plant-based milk or water, 1 tbsp at a time till everything is well combined and you can comfortably mold into a ball
Using wet hands, crab a thumb size amount of rice, mould and flatten in your palm, add the mozzarella cheese (if you are using) then press another thumb size piece of rice mixture on top. Mould into a ball and set aside.
Once you have shaped all your arancini, place them in the fridge for 10 mins to rest as you prep the breading process.
To bread the arancini, dip them in flour first, then in a bowl with plant-based milk, then generously coat in bread crumbs, making sure all sides are coated properly. Repeat this process for all the balls
To deep fry, heat some vegetable oil in a pot till hot (not too hot) and fry the arancini till golden brown on each side (takes about 3 mins on each side). Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't burn.
Take the arancini from the oil and place it on a paper towel to drench out the oil.
Serve hot with some ranch dressing.