Recipes:Vegan Mushroom, Spinach & Pine Nut Arancini

For my Hunbun Jess Jess.

Vegan risotto balls with mushroom, spinach and toasted pine nuts, in a crunchy panko shell.

Makes: 12 balls

Ingredients

Amount	Ingredient
180 g	arborio rice
750 ml	hot vegetable stock
2 tbsp	olive oil
1	small onion, finely diced
2	garlic cloves, minced
120 g	mushrooms, finely chopped
60 g	baby spinach, chopped
30 g	pine nuts
2 tbsp	fresh parsley, chopped
0.5 tsp	salt
0.25 tsp	black pepper
Coating
60 g	plain flour
120 ml	cold water
80 g	panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp	canola oil (spray or brush)

Method

1. Toast the pine nuts (~3 min): dry pan, medium heat, stir until golden. Set aside.
2. Cook the aromatics (~7 min): heat the olive oil in a wide pan. Soften the onion, then add the garlic and mushrooms; cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and brown a little.
3. Toast the rice (1–2 min): add the rice and stir until the edges look translucent.
4. Make the risotto (~18 min): add the stock a ladle at a time, stirring, letting each ladle absorb. Cook until tender, thick and sticky — a bit drier than you'd serve it.
5. Finish the filling: off the heat, stir in the spinach (it wilts), toasted pine nuts, parsley, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust.
6. Chill (1 hr+, overnight is great): spread on a tray and refrigerate until fully cold and firm. This is what makes the balls hold together.
7. Roll: with damp hands, roll into golf-ball-sized balls, squeezing firmly.
8. Coat: whisk the flour and water into a smooth batter. Dip each ball, then roll it in panko, pressing so the crumbs stick.
9. Firm up (~15 min): chill or freeze briefly so they hold their shape.
10. Cook: spray or brush with oil, then:
    • air fry at 190 °C for ~12 min, shaking halfway; or
    • bake at 200 °C for 20–25 min, turning once; or
    • deep fry at 180 °C for 3–4 min.

Notes

• The flour-and-water batter replaces egg, so they stay vegan.
• For a milder mushroom flavour, use less mushroom.
• Cheesier: stir 2 tbsp nutritional yeast into the risotto.
• Freezer stash: freeze coated, uncooked balls on a tray, then bag them. Cook from frozen, adding a few minutes.
• Contains: wheat, gluten, pine nuts.