Korokke (Japanese: コロッケ) is the Japanese name for a deep fried dish originally related to a French dish, the croquette. It is also said that it comes from the Dutch, Kroket.
It was introduced in the early 1900s. This dish is also popular in South Korea where it is typically sold in bakeries.
Korokke is made by mixing cooked chopped meat or seafood, vegetables with mashed potato or white sauce, or both, rolling it in wheat flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs/panko, then deep frying this until brown (fox colour in Japanese!) on the outside.
Korokke are usually shaped like flat patties. They are generally called “ingredient + Korokke”. For example, those using beef would be called “beef (gyu) korokke”, those using shrimp, “ebi korokke“, etc.. Those using white sauce may also be called “Cream Korokke”.
Korokke are often served with Worcestershire sauce and shredded cabbage.
Korokke can be eaten as is, and are sometimes sold wrapped in paper at stalls. They may also be used as a topping for other dishes. When sandwiched between a piece of bread, they are be called “Korokke pan” (“pan” being bread in Japanese).
Korrokke was the most sold single frozen food in 2007 and has been among the top three ever since.
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BASIC RECIPE
Here is the basic recipe prevalent in restaurants and homesteads.
Naturally, it can be expanded and modified at will.
I will not bother you with measurements as the method is the point of this posting!
1) INGREDIENTS:
-Potatoes (you will have to decide which variety! In Japan, “Danshaku” are best!)
-Onion
-Minced meat (of your choice!)
-Salt and pepper
-Flour (of your choice)
-Egg
-Milk
-Breadcrumbs (fresh if possible)
-Oil
-Lard (skip that if you don’t like it, but it would be a pity!)
2) RECIPE:
-Boil the potatoes with their skins.
Peel the skins off just out of the water when very hot. This way, the potatoes will not be too wet.
-Mash the potatoes roughly with a wooden spoon/spatula. Add salt and pepper and mix roughly. Cover with cellophane paper to keep the potatoes warm as long as possible.
-Chop the onions finely and fry in lard if possible for better taste. If you don’t like lard, use oil. You could add chopped garlic and small pieces of bacon.
Add minced meat of your choice. Season with a little salt, pepper, sugar and soy sauce according to you preferences. Fry until the minced meat is cooked.
-Add the mashed potatoes. Mixing them all atogether at the same time fry until potatoes have become dry enough.
Let cool completely and transfer to a storage dish. Cover with cellophane paper and leave overnight in the refrigerator to allow taste to permeate the potatoes. This is an important point as not only it will enhance the taste but also make the croquettes easier to shape.
-Spread a little oil over your palms and shape croquettes into you prefered size.
-Roll in flour and “shake” croquettes so that not too much flour adheres to them.
-Prepare (you might better do that first, LOL) the croquettes egg dip by mixing beaten egg, flour and milk to your preference.
Dip the croquettes in the batter completely.
-Roll the croquettes in the breadcrumbs.
One way to make breadcrumbs is to use real bread which had turned completely solid, soften it in milk, let it dry again and crush it into powder!
-Deep-fry croquettes at 170 degrees Celsius until they have reached a color of your liking.
As everything is already cooked inside, don’t worry whether they are cooked enough or not.
Point: add a little sesame oil to your frying oil for extra taste.
There are all kinds of sauce and decoration you cane serve croquettes with, unless you like them plain with a little mustard for example.
Here is a little suggestion for good taste and appetizing presentation:
Prepare a light white sauce/bechamel in the aurora style sauce with plenty of white pepper and boiled green peas.
Don’t they look nice like that!
RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES
Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,
Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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