Japanese croquettes are a variation of the fried potato croquettes from France and can be a great addition to a meal or a side dish to eat alone! (interpret that as you will)
Ingredients
Makes about 8 smaller croquettes.
about 0.25-0.5 L of cooking oil (depends on your pan's size)
Filling
3-4 large potatoes [can use any potato variety] cut into 1/8 pieces
1 whole onion
3 shiitake mushrooms (or one handful) [can find at Ralph's or Vons]
Optional: 1 whole carrot
*Optional: 1/2 lb ground beef
**Optional: 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
**(This is primarily for taste and up to the chef if they want the croquettes to have a
saltier flavor)
Breading
1 box (pouch) of panko [can find at Ralph's, Vons, Smart & Final]
3 eggs
about 1 cup of flour
Prep
Prepare:
- large mixing bowl for the filling.
- pot for boiling the potatoes
- cut potatoes into smaller pieces (1/8 or quarters should be fine)
- pan for cooking fillings ingredients
- deep dish pan for frying the croquettes.
- 2 small bowls and a plate (or bowl) for the panko.
Steps
1. Boil a pot of water.
Then boil the cut pieces of potato for about 10-15 minutes or until they are soft enough to be poked with a fork easily (*Note: you can peel the potatoes before or after boiling them
2. After the potatoes are soft,
drain the water and run cold water over them until they are cool. Then, using a peeler you can peel off the potato skins (if you do this after boiling them they should fall off easily)
3. Once the peels are gone,
place the potatoes in a separate bowl to mash them. You can do this with a very strong fork or masher. (You can use your hands if the potatoes are cool enough)
4. Now the fillings,
take the onion and shiitake mushrooms and mince them into small pieces. (Also mince carrots if you are using carrots).
5. Put about 1 teaspoon of cooking oil
into the pan and heat it up on medium high heat. *(If you are using ground meat cook that first until brown)
* If you are cooking with ground beef, sauté the beef in the pan until the meat is brown. Drain the oil out (not into the sink!) and place the meat in the bowl with the mashed potatoes.
Sauté the onions, shiitake mushrooms, and
carrots on medium heat until they are soft
and the onions are light brown.
6. Once the vegetables are done cooking combine them into the mashed potatoes and mix together.
You then take a handful of the mixture and in your hands, shape it into a oval shape (almost like a potato!).
Once the croquettes are shaped, put it on a plate and chill in the refrigerator for 10 mins.
7. Prepare your bowls and plate. Put the flour and panko in their own bowl.
Crack the two eggs into the other bowl and mix it with a fork (or chopsticks) until it is well blended.
Pour your oil into your frying pan until it is half full.
Heat it up on medium - slightly medium high heat
8. Once the oil in the frying pan is hot enough (you can test this by putting a small piece of panko in the oil and see if it bubbles) you can start breading the croquette.
First coat it in flour, then coat it in the egg mixture, then roll the croquette in the panko until it is fully covered.
9. Place the croquettes in the oil and cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until the panko's color changes to a golden brown.
(You only need to cook the outside so it is okay to take them out early)
10. Serve with tonkatsu sauce if you have it, eat it as is with Japanese curry, or on the side with your favorite meat! (Best if eaten fresh.)
*Disclaimer: This can be made entirely without meat or meat products so try it as a vegetarian meal!
*** This recipe is based on the one from JustOne Cookbook. Make sure to support her as well! https://www.justonecookbook.com/korokke-croquette/
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