--- See Sarah Graham cooking two kinds of rissoles in Sarah Graham's Food Safari, weekdays at 4pm and then via SBS On Demand ---
We could spend years debating what a rissole is, but one thing's for sure: a good rissole is a thing of beauty, Juicy, tasty and easy to make. Australia has loved them for a long time and they have a long history around the world too.
For the purposes of this recipe-led homage to the humble rissole, we're defining it as a flattened patty, often fried but also baked or barbecued, sometimes stuffed or coated but more often just rolled, flattened and cooked.
From frypan classics to some of our other favourite twists, say hello to a world of rissoles, from Persian to South African!
These tasty patties are perfect wrapped up in fresh flatbreads with pickles and tomato sauce.
Lamb issoles Source: John Laurie
Is it a rissole if it's on a stick? Maybe not quite, but we couldn't leave this one out. Firstly, because you could easily make them bigger and cook as individual rissoles. And second, because of the interesting secret ingredient. These juicy grilled pork patties contain an ingredient that One World Kitchen host Lisa Nguyen says makes them reign over other pork patties: caramel sauce.
Grilled pork patties Source: One World Kitchen
“Frikkadels … is an Afrikaans South African word for meat cakes. And normally they’re meat that’s either baked or fried but you can also use fish,” says Graham of her recipe, made with fish, mashed sweet potato, peas, various spices, fresh herbs and chilli, which she cooks up while visiting Zambia in Sarah Graham's Food Safari. “You can completely change the flavour profile of these fish cakes as well. They are so versatile.” And you can make them ahead: “Another favourite kitchen trick of mine is to make a whole tray of these, a double batch, pop some ready-made ones onto a tray and stick it in the freezer. then when you need a speedy supper you can take the tray from freezer into the oven and bake them until they are nice and golden.”
Fish frikkadels with pineapple salsa Source: Sarah Graham's Food Safari
Sticking with the deliciousness of frikkadels, here's another version, this one from Peter Kuruvita. It's more a meatball than a rissole, but the boundaries are pretty fluid when it comes to naming all these variations of meat patties and this one is stuffed with cheese, so it's a welcome cousin to the rissole family.
Frikkadels stuffed with camembert Source: Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen
Rissoles are a very popular dish in Malta and here Karmen Tedesco share her recipe using chicken. You could also use pork, beef or even turkey mince. These are just as delicious served cold as they are warm, so make great snacks the day after. The rissoles in Tedesco's recipe are cooked in the pan along with the rice, for a hearty meal, but you could always pan-fry the mixture instead.
Maltese rissoles Source: SBS Food
Miroslava Markovic shared the recipe for these Serbian meat patties in My Family Feast. They are made with beef and pork mince along with grated onion and grated potato.
Cufte Source: My Family Feast
This recipe from Maria Benardis is a great way to use up some day-old bread. Mpiftekia can be shaped into patties, wrapped around a skewer or shaped into ovals and grilled, baked or fried. Serve with a simple salad, tzatziki and lemon, or pack into pita bread and eat like a souvlaki.
Greek beef burgers Source: Alan Benson
Meatball or rissole? This great recipe from Donna Hay could go either way, and the frypan + oven cooking method yields up a juicy interior and a crisp exterior, which makes them a winner no matter what you call them.
Pork and fennel meatballs Source: Donna Hay: Fast, Fresh, Simple
Naomi Duguid says it's worth taking the time to hand-chop the meet for these Burmese patties, which can be made with beef or pork.
Lemongrass and ginger-spiked sliders. Source: Richard Jung
And to show you the extreme versatility of the rissole, let's finish with this, another recipe from Sarah Graham's Food Safari. Whilst for Aussies a rissole is a burger patty, in Africa it can be a deep-fried pastry filled with meat or seafood. This version, which Sarah cooked up while visiting Mozambique, is filled with fresh prawns, made for dipping in the homemade sweet chilli sauce.
Looking for more ideas? Check out our and recipe collections for more patties to fry, bake or barbecue.
Prawn rissole and sweet chilli sauc Source: Sarah Graham's Food Safari
