Pan-Fried Cheddar Rice Balls

We’ve all had those moments of “happy accidents” in the kitchen, and this recipe is one of mine. What started as a mishap while preparing rice turned into a delightful discovery—crispy, cheesy rice balls that will have your family asking for more.

Let me backtrack a bit to explain how this came about. A few months ago, I began exploring traditional methods of food preparation to provide my family with more sustainable nutrition. One technique I’ve been learning about is soaking grains, including rice, to increase their digestibility and nutritional value. Here’s where I went wrong—I soaked white rice for 24 hours which caused the white rice to break down much more than expected.

For white rice, you only need 4-8 hours of soaking in filtered water. Lesson learned! If you're interested in learning more about soaking grains, I recommend checking out resources from the Weston A. Price Foundation.

After soaking my rice, I froze it in portions for future use. One Sunday afternoon, I decided to cook it, expecting the usual fluffy texture. But instead, I ended up with a sticky, dough-like consistency.

I didn’t want to waste it, so after a quick Pinterest search on rice balls, I decided to experiment. What I created was a delicious surprise—crispy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside. My family loved them!

Since this recipe came about spontaneously, I didn’t measure everything exactly. Sometimes, when you're in the middle of a kitchen experiment, it's all about going with your gut rather than sticking to exact measurements.

These pan-fried cheddar rice balls are hard to describe—crunchy on the outside, gooey and cheesy on the inside—but trust me, they’re a hit! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Pan-Fried Cheddar Rice Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white rice (soaked for 7-8 hours)
• 1 ½ cups water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• Basil to taste
• Oregano to taste
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese or more if you want it really cheesy
• Butter or Tallow for cooking

Instructions:

1. Soak the rice according to the method in Nourishing Traditions (see recipe below).
2. Place the soaked rice in a pot with water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the rice is cooked. Drain any excess water.
3. Let the rice cool.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the rice, egg, basil, oregano, and cheddar cheese. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
5. Heat oil in a skillet (butter, tallow, or bacon grease works well for extra flavor).
6. With damp hands, shape the mixture into balls and fry them until golden brown.
7. Remove from oil and serve hot.

Enjoy these crispy, cheesy bites!

How to soak rice the Nourishing Traditions way.

2 C brown rice (use white rice for the rice balls)

4 C warm filtered water plus 4T whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk (lemon juice or vinegar for dairy free)

Soak for 7-8 hours in a warm place.

For those wanting to make rice balls, soak rice closer to 24 hours.  Basically you want your rice to end up very soft and dough like.