Basil rice balls with vegetables

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 125 g brown rice
• 25 g low-fat curd cheese
• 1 egg(s)
• 40 g Parmesan, grated
• 30 g breadcrumbs
• ½ bunch basil
• salt and pepper
• Oil for frying
• Vegetables, as desired

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 minutes; Total time approx. 44 minutes

Vegetarian meatballs

Bring about 375 ml of salted water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rice and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes according to the package instructions. Drain the rice and let it cool. Place the rice in a bowl with the quark, egg, Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs and knead to combine. Rinse the basil, pat it dry, and pluck the leaves from the stems. Cut the leaves into strips and mix half of them into the rice mixture, then season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, form about 6 equal-sized balls from the rice mixture. Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the rice balls in batches in the oil for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. If you don’t want to use as much oil, you can also fry the rice balls normally in a pan. Then remove the balls, drain on kitchen paper, and keep warm. Wash and chop the desired vegetables and fry them in a pan with the other half of the basil. A dip made from about 75g crème fraîche and 75g yogurt, seasoned with salt and pepper, also goes wonderfully with this.