Heat olive oil in a large pan

Add the onions and garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes.

Add the tomato paste and let it simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat. Season well with salt and pepper.

Now add in the arborio rice and keep stirring till it is well coated in the tomato paste.

Add the vegetable stock, ladle by ladle till all the stock is absorbed by the rice. Wait till the stock is absorbed before adding more stock. The rice should be almost cooked, it should have an al dente texture to it. And the stock should have been completely absorbed.

Take the rice off the heat. Stir in the butter, parmesan, and basil and give it a quick mix.

Allow the mixture to cool down completely

Once it has cooled completely take a handful of rice and flatten it out into an oval shape. Place a piece of mozzarella in the middle and then cover it with the rice. It is basically an oval rice ball with mozzarella filling.

In the meantime, whisk the eggs and keep it in a bowl. Place the breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Take a rice ball, dip it in the egg and then roll it on the breadcrumbs till the ball is completely coated. Repeat for each ball.

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan

Fry the rice ball in oil, should take about 5-6 minutes, and then place on paper towels so that the excess oil gets absorbed.

Repeat for each rice ball

Serve immediately