Rissois de “Carne”

Rissois seem to be at every Portuguese gathering. As a kid, I favoured the meat-filled Rissois over the shrimp ones. Now that I eat a more vegetarian diet, I haven’t been able to eat these appetizers in years.

As I reminisced, I decided to take a crack at making a vegan alternative. I will also include the non-vegan ingredients for those who want to make the original meat version.

I am surprised how good they came out! They tasted exactly like the ones I had as a child. I will confess that they do take some time to make. If you do decide to make them (which I hope you do!), I would make sure you have an hour and a half to two hours of spare time.

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Rissois de Carne

Yields: 30 pieces

Dough:

• 1 cup water
• 3 tbsp margarine
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups flour, sifted

Filling:

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 350g (veggie) meat, I recommend Impossible Meat
• 2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Nutmeg to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup silken tofu, pureed (or 1 egg)
• 3 tbsp flour

Breading:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk, I recommend soy milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• pinch of salt
• Bread crumbs
• Vegetable oil

Instructions:

Dough:

1. At medium-high heat, add water, margarine, and salt into a non-stick pan.
2. Once the margarine has melted and the water is beginning to boil, turn off the heat and stir in sifted flour.
3. Continuously stir mixture with a wooden spoon.
4. When the mixture starts to combine, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
5. Quickly kneed the dough until it forms into a ball. Careful the dough will be hot.
6. Cover the dough and set aside.

Filling:

1. At medium heat, saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Stir frequently, until onions become translucent.
2. Add tomato paste and stir until onions and garlic are evenly coated.
3. Stir in crumbled veggie meat.
4. Once the meat is fully cooked, add parsley, nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Stir until combined.
5. Turn down heat to low and stir in the silken tofu. The meat mixture should begin to stick together.
6. Add flour in a tablespoon at a time and stir until the meat mixture begins to bind together. You should be able to roll the meat into balls without it falling apart.

Assembly:

1. Roll dough on a floured surface until it is approximately 1/8-inch thick.
2. Using a round cookie cutter or the rim of a cup, cut circles into the dough.
3. Using your hands or a 1 tsp cookie scoop, scoop out the meat mixture. Roll in between your hands until it creates a 1-inch ball.
4. Place the meat in the circle-cut dough.
5. Fold the dough over the meat to create half circles and pinch the dough shut so the filling does not spill out.
6. Repeat until there is no more filling left.

Breading and Frying:

1. At high heat, place oil in a deep fryer or a deep pan, enough that the rissois will be fully submerged in oil.
2. For the wet batter, whisk flour, non-dairy milk, water, salt, and garlic and onion powder in a bowl until fully combined. You can also substitute the wet batter with a couple of beaten eggs.
3. Place bread crumbs in a separate bowl.
4. Fully submerge the rissois in the wet batter. Make sure it is completely and evenly battered.
5. Take the rissois out of the wet batter and transfer them into the bread crumbs. Make sure there is no excess batter before transferring.
6. Once the rissois are evenly coated in bread crumbs, transfer into the hot oil.
7. Fry the rissois until they are a deep golden-brown colour, approximately 1-2 minutes, flipping them halfway.
8. Remove rissois and place onto a paper-lined tray to absorb the excess oil.
9. Best served warm.

Note:

If you don’t plan of frying them right away, I recommend freezing them in an airtight container. Only batter the rissois when they are ready to be fried.

For a “healthier” version with less fat, you can also air fry them instead of deep frying. I air-fried them at 365 degree C (or the fries setting) for about 8 minutes, flipping them half way.

This is a great way to consume less meat without sacrificing flavour. Perfect for #MeatlessMondays or to fool non-vegetarian guests (haha). I am excited to keep exploring vegan and vegetarian alternatives to these traditional Portuguese foods.

I hope you enjoy,

Vanessa