Albanian recipe
How to make Rice balls with mint
qifqi
Gjirokastër, in the south
Small round patties of cooked rice, egg and dried mint, fried until golden and crisp. They are served warm with white cheese or yogurt, as a starter or light meal.
Ingredients
- 150 g rice and 20 g butter
- 300 ml chicken stock or hot water
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 100 ml olive oil for frying
Method
- Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the rice, then add the stock or water and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook gently until all the liquid is absorbed. Leave to cool.
- Mix the cooled rice with the eggs, mint, salt and pepper into a soft mixture.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan. Without the special qifqi pan, drop in heaped tablespoons of the mixture and flatten them slightly.
- Fry over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden all over and cooked through.
- Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm with white cheese or yogurt.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
In Gjirokastër qifqi are fried in a special pan with four to seven round hollows. One story says they began as a way to use up leftover wedding pilaf.
Take the trip to Albania
