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Supplì (also Supplì alla Romana) is a classic Italian street food originating from Rome. Suppli (Italian risotto ball) is a rice croquette characterized by a stringy heart of mozzarella cheese.
Roman Supplì It is a type of fried rice ball made with rice, and was originally created to make use of the leftover risotto. The rice is cooked with tomato sauce, broth, and grated cheese, then mixed with chopped meat, usually chicken giblets, and formed into small balls with a piece of mozzarella in the center. The supplì is then rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried, resulting in a crispy exterior with a melted and stringy mozzarella heart only revealed when bitten into.
Suppli is a very popular snack or appetizer served in Rome and all other parts of Italy, and it is also sometimes referred to as supplì al telefono (supplì over the phone) due to the stringy cheese inside that resembles a telephone cord.
Beside Supplì, you may have also heard about arancini: both are similar but come from different regions and have some differences in their preparation, filling and shape. Arancini is from Sicily and is typically round in shape (with peas in it). Instead, Supplì is typically elongated in shape.
If you prefer a lighter version of Supplì, instead of deep-frying them, you can also bake them in the oven at 360°F for about 30 minutes. You will thus obtain perfect Oven Baked Supplì. You can even make your supplì in an air fryer, and as for the oven version, it can result in a crispy and healthier version of this classic Italian street food.
Ingredients
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Instructions
To prepare Roman Supplì start by chopping up the half onion, sauté it with a little bit of Olive Oil in a pan and once it has browned for 2-3 minutes add the rice and toast it over medium-high heat. Deglaze with a little white wine, stir to care and when it has evaporated add a little warm vegetable stock so that it covers all the rice, add the tomato puree, stir it in and continue cooking.
Add more vegetable broth several times, as needed, until the rice is cooked turning out well dry. Turn off the heat, season with salt and cream the risotto with a little butter and some grated Parmesan cheese. Transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and spread the rice out well, leaving it to chill for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Take the low-moisture Mozzarella cheese and chop it in cubes of about 1 centimeter and, once the rice is well cold and firm oil one hand and with the help of a spoon take some of the rice. Place it in the oiled hand, crush it slightly so as to create a hollow and place some cubes of mozzarella in the center. Shape the rice with your hands giving it the classic elongated supplì shape and repeat so that you finish all the rice available. With our doses you should be able to easily obtain 10 supplì.
Place the eggs in a bowl, salt, pepper and beat well. Take one of the supplì pass it first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs taking care to coat it well. Now perform a subsequent breadcrumb coating by therefore again first passing it in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Do this for all the supplì.
Heat plenty of frying oil and, once the temperature reaches 340°F (170°), dip two supplì at a time. When they are well browned, remove them with a skimmer and place them on paper towels so they lose the excess oil. Serve your Supplì immediately, piping hot and with a stringy heart.
