Can I Use An Arancini Mould To Shape The Coxinha?

Our answer

Nigella's version of Coxinha, the popular Brazilian appetiser or snack, are fig-sized and smaller than a traditional coxinha, which is usually the size of a small pear. A coxinha is made from a dough that is filled with a mixture of cooked chicken (sometimes mixed with a Brazilian cheese called requeijão), sealed, coated with breadcrumbs and then fried. Arancini are made from cooked risotto rice and may be filled or just formed into balls before coating and frying. Larger, filled arancini are a similar shape and size to traditional coxinha.

Most pyramid arancini moulds are actually cone-shaped and not dissimilar in shape to a coxinha mould. For both moulds you put the rice or dough into the mould and then use a tamper to press the rice or dough into the mould and create a space for the filling. So it may be possible to use an arancini mould to make coxinha, but there are a few things to bear in mind. Firstly, you need to make sure that when you push the dough into the mould, some of the dough comes above the edge of the mould so that you have enough dough to fold over the filling and pinch together to seal. Secondly, make sure that it is possible to remove the formed coxinha from the mould as arancini moulds are usually solid and the arancini drops out, whereas many coxinha moulds are hinged and open to release the coxinha. Finally, remember that the arancini mould will make larger versions of the coxinha, so the yield from the recipe will be different and the frying time may be longer. If you already have an arancini mould at home then you could certainly try, but we are not sure that it would be worth making a special purchase. Shaping the coxinha by hand might be slightly tricky for the first few but after a while you should find it easier to shape the coxinha, even if you are not that dexterous.