When my mother was still a student attending junior high school, she used to stop by at a local korokke shop on her way home. She said they were so cheap and served as a good snack for teenagers. Korokke is a deep fried dish usually filled with minced meat and potato. When western dish of croquette was introduced to Japan, the name got twisted and became known as korokke, or so I heard. Korokke is commonly served at a family dinner table. There are many variations of korokke and creamy corn korokke is my favorite. Today, I present you a vegetarian version with a variety of herbs 😉
Tips: Enjoy your own arrangement by adding rosemary or cheese. You can also make curry korokke by substituting herbs with curry powder.
Photo: wsifrancis
Recipe: Herb Korokke
Yield: 20 to 25 korokke
Ingredients
1kg potato
2 onions
1 carrot
½ teaspoon of parsley flakes
½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried basil
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Flour (as needed)
2 eggs, beaten
Panko or breadcrumbs (as needed)
Oil (as needed)
Cooking instructions
1. Wash the potatoes with clean water and cut into 2cm cubes. Remove buds. Place in a cooking pot and fill with water so that about a half is submerged in the water. Boil over low heat until the potatoes are soft. I usually use a big cooking pot and cover with a lid. If you use a small cooking pot, foam might overflow. Depending on the type of potatoes used, you may need more water.
2. While the potato is cooking, mince the carrot and onion, and stir fry with a frying pan. Season with salt and pepper. Set them aside.
3. Once the potatoes are softened, transfer to a bowl, then mash. Add the parsley, nutmeg powder, dried thyme, basil, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
4. Add the stir fried onion and carrot into the bowl. Mix well. Taste to see if you require more salt, pepper or herbs.
5. Using your hands, shape korokke. Make sure each korokke is no thicker than 1.5cm. Thicker the korroke, longer the cooking time.
6. Cover each korokke with flour, then with beaten eggs, and then with panko or breadcrumbs.
7. The traditional method of cooking korokke is deep fry. To deep fry, heat the oil over medium fire to 180°C and fry until the surface is crispy golden. Make sure to fry both sides. It shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes to cook each korokke.
8. If you prefer a non-traditional method, transfer them into a toaster oven, drizzle or spray cooking oil and cook for about 20 minutes at 200°C. Adjust the temperature and the cooking time according to your oven. Alternatively, you can cook with an airfryer which my mother has started using in recent years.
This article was written by Chia.