Supplì
Recommendations for making supplì:
Cook rice as for risotto
Let the rice cool down so it doesn’t stick to your hands when forming the balls
Drain mozzarella well in a colander or between clean paper towels (if you don’t, the rice ball might break its structure and start leaking)
Don’t forget to add Parmigiano Reggiano to your rice to enhance the flavour
You can use a simple 2-ingredient batter (flour and water mixture, then breadcrumbs) for convenience instead of a 3-step breading process (flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs)
Oil for deep frying needs to be hot enough (around 170°C) to prevent the rice from absorbing the grease
Key points when cooking risotto:
Use short-grain rice intended for making risotto such as Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano
Don’t wash the rice like you normally would for sushi or gimbap - preserved starch makes risotto creamy!
The stock added to the rice needs to be warm otherwise the rice cools down and the texture of the finished product turns out mushy
Add stock gradually by mixing gently. Once most of the liquid is absorbed proceed with more stock and repeat the process until rice has an al dente texture and the sauce is homogenous
Cook the risotto over low to medium heat for no more than 20 minutes
Use a large pan rather than a small pot to cook the risotto so the rice cooks more evenly
Supplì recipe
Serve: 12 balls
Ingredients:
half of a white onion
100ml white wine
300g Arborio rice
500g salted vegetable broth
400g tomato passata
25g Parmigiano Reggiano
230g mozzarella
100g breadcrumbs
1:2 ratio of flour-water
650g sunflower oil or any other high smoke point oil
a knob of unsalted butter
extra virgin olive oil
20 turns of a black pepper mill
sea salt
Method:
Slice mozzarella into thick pieces and pat it dry on both sides with a paper towel. Place the cuts on another dry towel to absorb the remaining excess water.
Brunoise half of a white onion.
Bring two small pots to simmer: one with vegetable broth and the other with tomato passata.
Heat a wide pan over medium heat, sauté white onion in butter, season with sea salt and cook until soft. Add Arborio rice, and stir until the rice gets translucent on the edges and opaque in the centre. Don’t brown the rice. Add white wine, stir, and cook until the wine evaporates.
Keeping the heat at low to medium start adding vegetable broth - a ladle at a time while stirring gently. It’s crucial not to rush this process and not to utilise all the stock at once. As soon as most of the liquid gets absorbed by the rice, begin with another ladle and mix one more time. Repeat the process until the rice is cooked to 80% then add warm passata. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Stir in Parmigiano Reggiano and cook the risotto for a couple more minutes, until it becomes creamy, with the rice firm to bite. The process of cooking risotto shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes.
Line a tray with baking parchment and thinly spread out the risotto flat so that the rice cools down quicker and the texture doesn’t become as gloopy as it would have in a pot.
Once the rice mixture gets cold, divide it into 12 equal pieces using a knife. Create a small and flattened disc, the same way you would make a beef patty, and place each disc on a tray laid with clean baking parchment. Put a mozzarella piece in the middle of each disc. At this point, the rice should not be sticky so there’s no need to oil hands.
Hold the patty in your palm and close the mozzarella filling forming an oblong shape.
Prepare the batter by whisking 2 parts water with 1 part sifted flour, and season with sea salt. Combine until the liquid becomes smooth and without any lumps. The consistency should be thick enough to coat the balls. If you find it too runny - use more flour. If it’s too dense - add a splash of water.
Place the breadcrumbs in one bowl and the batter in another. We’re going to follow a dry-and-wet hand system. One hand is going to touch only the wet mix and the other only the dry ingredient (breadcrumbs!). First, dip the supplì in batter, shake off any excess liquid, and then coat it in breadcrumbs. Form oval balls.
Now, to the deep-frying part. Before you go ahead, I recommend reading an article about Fire Safety for Home Kitchens in case you are not a seasoned friturier.
Pour oil into a large wide pot, filling it halfway. I always use a bigger pot, as I don’t want the oil to bubble up and risk oil spillage.
Heat the oil to 170°C.
Use a probe to check the temperature (the oil needs to be hot enough so that the supplì does not get greasy and burnt). Deep fry supplì in batches to prevent overcrowding the pot which would result in cooling off the oil. Place a couple of rice balls carefully using long tongs or a spider in oil and fry until golden for around 4 minutes. Once cooked, drain on a paper towel, sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy them while warm.
If you fancy keeping some of them for the next day, don’t deep-fry them yet. Keep them coated in breadcrumbs in the fridge and fry them fresh!
