I really like arancini and really any fried food. I first made this version a couple years ago for a friend’s birthday. The food was British and Italian fusion, it seemed pretty obvious to me to combine the two popular rice dishes from each culture. Kedgeree was a very popular Anglo-Indian breakfast dish from the Victorian era, it’s very subtly spiced, which is why I have paired it with a punchier sauce. Although I am not overly convinced by cottage cheese as a product, I find the tanginess really works with the lime pickle and contrasts well with the more mellow and rich flavour of the arancini. I make my own lime pickle, but that isn’t necessary.
The recipe makes 10 generous portions, you could instead separate them into 20 balls and serve as a canape.
KEDGEREE ARANICINI & LIME PICKLE
Makes 10 EQUIPMENT heavy base pot with high sides for deep fat frying, thermometer, slotted spoon, kitchen roll, wire rack, blender
INGREDIENTS
RISOTTO 1 medium onion, diced 5 garlic cloves, finely diced 5cm ginger, finely diced 50g butter 1 tbsp olive oil 150g risotto rice 250g smoked haddock 1 litre of water 2tbsp fish sauce 1/2tbsp chicken powder 1/2tsp MSG 2tbsp medium curry powder 75ml sherry 20g parmesan, finely grated 100g frozen peas juice 1/2 lemon
CRUMB & FRY 2 eggs, beaten 100g flour 100g panko breadcrumbs vegetable oil – depends on your pot, you want to fill up to a depth of at least 10cm
DAY ONE Confit the onions in the butter on a low heat. They should be browned and jammy. This should take around 30 minutes
While your onions are cooking add the water, fish sauce, chicken powder & MSG into a pan that will fit your haddock in. bring the water to a boil, then turn down onto low. Add the haddock fillets in and poach for around 6-8 minutes. remove the fish and set to one side. keep the water as this is your stock for the risotto.
Turn the onion temperature onto medium and add the ginger and garlic, cook for a couple minutes. Then add the olive oil and curry powder, cook off for a couple minutes. Add in the rice and stir so each grain is covered with curry mix. Add in the sherry and cook off till mostly evaporated. stirring the risotto the whole time releases more starch which creates a creamier risotto
Now add a couple ladles of stock into the rice mixture, stir the whole time and top up with stock once absorbed. If the rice is still not cooked once you have used up all the stock, top up with water and keep stirring till done.
Once the rice is just about cooked add the peas and stir in to cook through. Flake the fish of the skin and add to the rice. Add the parmesan, you can also add extra butter if you want it creamier. then add half the lemon juice and taste, if it need more add some more. Adjust seasoning to your liking
Wait for the risotto to cool and then keep in the fridge till needed.
DAY TWO Place the lime pickle, cottage cheese and milk into a blender and blend till smooth. if it needs more liquid add a little more milk
Add the egg, flour and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls.
Separate the risotto into 10 equal portions and shape into balls.
Add your oil to a pan and set over a medium heat, you want the oil to be around 170-180 degrees Celsius
While the oil is heating dip one of the balls into the flour and toss till completely covered, the dip in the egg and cover all over before finishing with the breadcrumbs. use one hand to toss in the flour & breadcrumbs and then other hand to toss in the egg, this stops clumps of eggy flour forming on you
When the oil is ready lower in the arancini in, you can cook multiple at a time depending on your pot size, but be careful not to over crowd as this will drop the temperature of the oil. When the arancini are golden all over remove from the oil and transfer to the wire rack to cool slightly.
serve with the lime pickle sauce and extra parmesan
