Thieb Arancini with Rof Fish and Tamarind-Chilli Mayo

Method

1. Make the rof: finely chop the parsley, garlic and green chilli with the salt. Cut the fish into 3 cm pieces and toss them in the rof.

   Add in this stepWhite fish fillet (cod or sea bream) 120 gFlat-leaf parsley (for the rof) 10 gGarlic cloves (for the rof) 1Green chilli (for the rof) ½Salt (for the rof) ¼ tsp

2. Heat the oil in a 18 cm pot over medium heat, cook the onion, then add the tomato paste; cook for 5 min in total, until the onion is soft and the paste has turned a deep brick red.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil (for frying the base) 1½ tbspOnion, very finely chopped ½Tomato paste 1½ tbsp

   medium heat

3. Add the water and stock cube and bring to the boil over high heat. Add the fish, cover, turn down to medium-low heat and poach for 5 min. When the fish is opaque and flakes easily, lift it out, let it cool, then flake it finely, checking carefully for bones.

   Add in this stepWater 420 mlStock cube (fish or chicken) ½

   high heat→medium-low heat

4. Add the rice to the remaining broth without rinsing it (the starch helps the balls hold together) and cook over low heat for 18 min, stirring right to the bottom every few minutes. When the rice is tender and almost all the liquid is gone, like a thick risotto, spread it on a wide tray, let it cool, then cover and chill for 45 min. It has to be cold to hold its shape.

   Add in this stepShort-grain or risotto rice 140 g

   low heat

5. Divide the rice into 6 portions. With lightly wet hands, flatten one portion in your palm, put a little fish and a cube of mozzarella in the middle, close the rice around it and press firmly into a ball about 5 cm across. Make sure no cheese is showing, or it will burst out while frying.

   Add in this stepMozzarella, in 1.5 cm cubes 40 g

6. Put the flour, beaten egg and panko in three separate bowls. Roll each ball in flour, then egg, then panko, coating it evenly, and press lightly so the crumbs stick.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 25 gEgg, beaten 1Panko breadcrumbs 60 g

7. Pour the frying oil into a 18 cm pot to a depth of about 3 cm (never more than a third of the way up) and heat over medium-high heat to 175 °C. Without a thermometer: a pinch of panko should sizzle and float within 2 to 3 seconds. Lower the arancini in gently with a ladle, no more than 4 at a time, and fry for 4 min, turning halfway, until deep golden. If the oil starts to smoke, turn off the heat at once, and never leave the pot unattended. Drain on kitchen paper.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil (for deep-frying) 800 ml

   medium-high heat

8. Mix the mayonnaise, tamarind paste and hot sauce with a squeeze of lime juice. The cheese inside is very hot, so let the arancini sit for about 2 minutes before serving them with the sauce.

   Add in this stepMayonnaise 3 tbspTamarind paste 1 tspHot sauce ½ tspLime ½