Crunchy Rice Balls – Bolinhos
Author: Cabana, Newgate Street, Newcastle NE1 6JE, www.cabana-brasil.com
Recipe type: Appetiser
Cuisine: South American
Ingredients
- 150g long grain rice
- 1 medium egg
- 4 spring onions, finely chopped
- 70g grated parmesan
- 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 80g plain flour (extra for rolling)
- small bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- vegetable or groundnut oil, for deep-fat frying
- 4 limes cut into wedges
Method
- Put the rice in a pan with 400ml water and bring to the boil. Simmer and cook, partially covered, for about 10 mins until most of the water has been absorbed. Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and
- leave to steam for the rice to absorb any remaining water. The rice will be slightly overcooked and quite sticky, and you should be able to roll a small amount into a ball. Cool completely, transfer to a mixing bowl and add the egg, spring onions, parmesan, salt, baking powder, half the flour and all but 1 tbsp of chopped parsley. Mix well. It should be stiff enough to be formed into balls. If it is too sticky, add the remaining flour, until you get the right consistency. Roll the mixture into balls, about 30g each. Heat the oil in a deep pan or a deep-fat fryer until it reaches 190C. Fry in batches until golden brown then drain on a tray lined with paper towels. Keep the bolinhos warm in oven as you fry each batch.
- Serve with a sprinkling of grated parmesan, finely chopped parsley and wedges of lime.
