Life feels like it has been pretty hectic lately and over the next couple of weeks it's only going to get busier, with my birthday, working and then a holiday at the end of the week to look forward to! I definitely need a break now and I hope to come back from Budapest with lots of inspiration for new recipes to post!
When I started cooking this next recipe I wasn't sure what I was actually making; I grabbed a few things from the fridge, including some leftover brown rice and just began cooking, it was about half way through the process that I had the idea of making these little rice balls. They're packed full of mushrooms, brown rice and herbs, with a little oat flour as a binder and crust too, then shallow fried and served up with an easy homemade tomato relish. These are similar to risotto balls, but instead they are made up of leftover plain rice, rather than risotto, plus, they're quicker and healthier as they're made with wholegrain rice, but just as tasty!
This next recipe would be great as a tapas style meal or as a starter, they're best served hot but are still pretty delicious cold too, so you could take them to work for lunch (just make sure they're refrigerated). The ingredients list may look pretty long, but most of it is herbs, so if you haven't got one, sub it in for another one to your liking. You can also use chickpea and oat flour interchangeably in this recipe, but if using chickpea, just be sure to cook it through properly as it has a pretty prominent taste when under cooked.
The relish is made from sundried tomatoes, red onion and pickles, finely chopped and mixed together, it's wonderfully tangy and flavourful, complimenting the creamy, herby flavour of the rice balls. This recipe is pretty quick and easy, taking no more than 30 mins for the whole batch.
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Mushroom Rice Balls with Tomato Relish | Yield: 10 | Time: 30 mins
You'll need
- large frying pan
- non-stick frying pan
- chopping board
- knife
- food processor
- oil, for shallow frying
- Paper towels
Ingredients
Rice Balls:- 1 cup cooked wholegrain rice
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 200g chestnut mushrooms
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 2 tbsp fresh, chopped parsley
- 1 tsp chopped dill
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp oat flour
- 1 heaped tbsp oat flour
- 1 heaped tbsp chickpea flour (or 1 extra tbsp oat flour)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- Salt
- 4 sundried tomatoes
- 1 tbsp pickle brine
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 large pickle, finely chopped
- 1/8 red onion, finely chopped
Method
- Chop the onion and add to the frying pan on a medium heat with a splash of oil, then chop the garlic and mushrooms and add these too, fry for 5 minutes before adding the rice, herbs and seasonings. Remove half of the mixture from the pan and blend in the food processor, then add back to the pan with the oat flour, combine and cook for a further 5 minutes. Form into 10 small balls.
- In a small bowl mic together the ingredients for the coating and roll the balls in this, before placing to one side.
- Heat up a shallow pan of oil and fry the balls until golden and crispy, turning as needed. When crispy, place on a plate of paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- Meanwhile, to make the relish, blend up the tomatoes with the pickle brine and water to form a paste, then stir in the pickle and red onion, put in a small bowl ready to serve.
- Serve up the risotto balls hot with the relish and enjoy!
Cassidy xx
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