Asian Rissoles with Rice and Slaw

Asian rissoles are meatballs with a job to do. Grated carrot and onion go straight into the mince so it stretches further, Chinese five spice does the heavy lifting on flavour, and the air fryer cooks them while the rice boils. Served with a bag of Asian slaw and its own sesame dressing, this is a full plate of food for a few dollars a head. Let's cook!

Why These Asian Rissoles Work

The grated veg stretches the mince. A carrot and an onion grated into 350g of mince turns a small amount of meat into 12 to 14 rissoles. They also keep the mix moist, which is what stops budget mince going dry and bouncy.

Chinese five spice does all the work. One teaspoon and the whole thing tastes deliberate rather than plain. It is star anise, cinnamon, clove, fennel and Sichuan pepper in one jar, so a single spoonful is doing the job of five spices.

The bagged slaw is the smart buy, not the lazy one. It already has the coriander, the onion, the crunchy bits and a sesame dressing in the bottom of the bag. Buying those separately on a budget shop makes no sense at all.

The air fryer frees up the hob. Twelve to fifteen minutes with no turning and no oil, while the rice does its thing on the stove. Dinner lands in 25 minutes.

They freeze brilliantly raw. Roll the whole batch, freeze what you do not need, and you have a future dinner sitting in the freezer for nothing.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Serves: 2 to 3, with leftovers for lunch
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Air fryer, or a frying pan

One correction from the video, and it matters. I said a tablespoon of Chinese five spice on camera and it should be a teaspoon. A tablespoon is far too much and it will bulldoze everything else in the bowl. The other thing worth knowing is what to do with the grated vegetables before they go in. Carrot and onion both hold a lot of water, and if you tip them straight into the mince the mix goes loose and the rissoles crack in the air fryer. Grate them, gather them in your hands, and squeeze the liquid out over the sink first. Then mix with your hands rather than a spoon and keep going until it turns properly sticky and clings to itself. That stickiness is the bind, and it is the difference between rissoles that hold their shape and rissoles that fall apart.

Ingredients

For the Rissoles

• 350g to 400g mince, I used 50/50 beef and pork
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 onion, grated
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, or sage and onion stuffing mix
• Salt and pepper

To Serve

• Steamed rice
• 1 bag of pre-made Asian slaw with sesame dressing

How to Make Asian Rissoles with Rice and Slaw

1. Get the rice on: Start your rice first so it is ready when the rissoles are.
2. Prep the veg: Grate the carrot and onion, then gather them up in your hands and squeeze out the excess liquid over the sink. Wet veg makes a loose mix.
3. Mix the rissoles: Add the mince, egg, Chinese five spice, breadcrumbs or stuffing mix, salt and pepper to a large bowl with the grated veg. Use your hands to squish and mix until it is well combined and properly sticky.
4. Shape into balls: Roll into golf ball sized rissoles. You should get about 12 to 14 from this amount.
5. Air fry: Cook at 190C for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden and cooked through. In a pan instead, fry in a little oil over a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning to brown evenly.
6. Serve it up: Plate up with the rice and a generous handful of the slaw, and drizzle over the sesame dressing that came in the bag.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Ready in 25 minutes: Rice on, rissoles in, done
• Stretches the mince: 350g of meat becomes 12 to 14 rissoles with the grated veg
• One jar of spice does it all: Chinese five spice is the whole flavour profile
• Hands off cooking: The air fryer needs no turning and no oil
• Leftovers built in: Cold rissoles are a brilliant lunch the next day

Chef's Tips for Asian Rissoles

A teaspoon of five spice, not a tablespoon: I said tablespoon in the video and it is wrong. A teaspoon is plenty for this much mince.

Squeeze the grated veg: Carrot and onion are full of water. Squeeze them out over the sink before they go in or the mix will be too loose to roll.

Mix until it is sticky: Use your hands, not a spoon, and keep working it. When it starts clinging to itself rather than falling apart, it will hold together in the air fryer.

Stuffing mix is a genuine upgrade: I ran out of breadcrumbs and used sage and onion stuffing instead, and it added a herby hit that I have used on purpose ever since. Use what is in the cupboard.

Do not crowd the air fryer: Give them space so the hot air can get round them. Two batches beats one crowded one.

Double the batch: They freeze beautifully raw. Roll the lot, freeze half on a tray, and you have a dinner in the bank.

Substitutions & Variations

• The mince: Beef, pork, chicken or a mix, whatever is cheapest on the day
• The binder: Breadcrumbs, stuffing mix, crushed crackers or a blitzed slice of bread all do the same job
• The veg: Grate in courgette, kale stems or a broccoli stem alongside the carrot
• No five spice: A teaspoon of curry powder or Chinese style seasoning gets you somewhere similar
• No air fryer: Pan fry, or bake at 200C for about 20 minutes, turning halfway
• Make your own slaw: Shredded cabbage and carrot with a sesame and soy dressing, if you would rather not buy the bag

Storage

Best eaten fresh: Straight from the air fryer while the outsides are still crisp.

Fridge: Cooked rissoles keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keep the rice separate and reheat both until piping hot.

Freezer: Freeze them raw on a tray until solid, then bag them for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen in the air fryer with a few extra minutes. Cooked ones freeze for up to 1 month.

Avoid: Reheating cooked rice more than once. Cool it fast, keep it cold and get it properly hot the one time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a rissole and a meatball? Very little, honestly. A rissole usually has more filler in it, breadcrumbs and grated vegetables, which is exactly what makes it a budget dish. A meatball tends to be mostly meat.

How much Chinese five spice do I actually need? One teaspoon for 350g of mince. I said a tablespoon in the video and that was a slip. Five spice is strong and a tablespoon will take over.

Why do my rissoles fall apart? Either the grated veg was not squeezed out, or the mix was not worked until sticky. Both are fixable and both happen before anything goes near the heat.

Can I make these without an air fryer? Yes. Pan fry in a little oil over a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning to brown them evenly, or bake at 200C for around 20 minutes.

Can I freeze rissoles? Yes, and raw is better than cooked. Freeze them on a tray until solid so they do not stick together, then transfer to a bag and cook from frozen.

What else can I serve them with? Rice and slaw is the fast version. Noodles work, so does mash, and they are very good cold in a wrap with some of the slaw.

Is the bagged slaw worth buying? On a budget shop, yes. The dressing alone is worth it, and buying coriander, cabbage, carrot and sesame dressing separately costs far more than the bag.

Can I use just beef or just pork? Yes. Half and half gives you the fat from the pork and the flavour from the beef, but either on its own is completely fine.

You Might Also Like

3 Budget Dinners Under $50 NZD with Mince - The full episode these rissoles came from, with the shopping list and all three dinners.

Gozleme, Crispy Stuffed Flatbreads - Dinner two from the same shop, and the one people are always most surprised by.

Gnocchi Bolognese - Dinner three, and where the last of the mince goes.

Greek-Style Pork Meatballs with Air Fryer Chips - The same idea pointed at the Mediterranean instead.

These rissoles are the dinner I make when the shop has been expensive and there is not much meat to go round. A carrot, an onion and a teaspoon of five spice turn a small pack of mince into a proper plate of food, and the bag of slaw does the rest of the work for you. Make the full batch even if you are cooking for two, because the leftovers are the best part.

Enjoy!

Del x

Meatballs stretched with grated veg and Chinese five spice, air fried and served with rice and crunchy sesame slaw.