Paneer Arancini

Hayley Dhanecha's recipe for crispy spiced paneer arancini – the ultimate Diwali sharing snack

15 minutes prep

45 minutes cook

Serves 5

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Ingredients

Paneer arancini:

200guncooked basmati rice

100gpaneer (grated)

15gspinach (finely chopped)

50gmixed nuts

2 green chillies

½ inchginger

1 tspgaram masala

2 tbspfresh coriander (finely chopped)

200gpanko breadcrumbs (ground to a coarse crumb, or use fine breadcrumbs)

60gcornflour

salt, to taste

Hayley Dhanecha, AKA @jcookingodyssey, shares her recipe for Paneer Arancini — a vibrant Indian fusion dish made for festive gatherings. Featuring ingredients from Sainsbury’s World Food range, these crisp golden balls are packed with spice and flavour, making them the perfect dish to share this Diwali.

Method

Rinse the basmati rice under cold water, then add it to a saucepan with 500ml of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until all the water is absorbed. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Grate the paneer using a box grater. Crush the green chillies and ginger into a paste using a food processor, then pulse the nuts until coarsely ground. Finely chop the spinach and coriander.

Once the rice has cooled, combine it with the paneer, green chilli–ginger paste, crushed nuts, garam masala, chopped spinach, chopped coriander, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly until evenly combined.

Shape the mixture into equal-sized balls, pressing firmly so they hold their shape, then chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the coatings. Mix the cornflour with 200ml of water to form a medium-thickness slurry. Blitz the panko breadcrumbs briefly in a food processor to make them slightly finer. Roll each chilled ball in the slurry, then coat with the breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in a deep pan and fry the arancini until crisp and golden, or spray lightly with oil and cook in an air fryer at 205°C (400°F) for about 20 minutes, until evenly browned. Serve hot with your choice of chutney or dipping sauce.