Learn how to make these easy traditional-style Japanese Croquettes (Korokke). Made with potato, corn, carrots, and any meat of your choice!
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What does Korokke Mean In Japanese?
Korokke in Japanese means croquette! Korokke is a savoury morsel of potato with vegetables and meats mixed in it. It's covered in a golden brown, light, crispy panko crust. Traditionally, it's deep fried to give the crispiest texture.
What are Japanese Croquettes Made of?
Traditionally Japanese Croquettes are made of potato, vegetables, and some kind of meat (usually ground beef).
For this recipe you will need:
- Potatoes (Yukon gold is the best for it's stickier texture)
- Shredded carrots
- Corn
- Meat of your choice (ground beef, chicken, or salmon work great)
- Panko (the airy, crispy crust)
- Egg (to dredge the croquettes)
- Frying oil (corn, sunflower, peanut, or vegetable oil works)
What are the Different Types of Korokke?
- Curry Korokke: Incorporates Japanese curry into the filling
- Seafood Korokke: shrimp, crab, or fish, mixed with potatoes
- Cheese Korokke: Includes cheese as one of the primary ingredients, giving it a gooey texture when fried
- Mentai Korokke: Filled with spicy cod roe (mentaiko) mixed with potatoes
- Kabocha Korokke: Uses kabocha squash as one of the main ingredients, offering a slightly sweeter taste compared to regular potato korokke
What do you eat with Japanese Croquettes?
Something light and fresh pairs well with the fried, crispy flavour of croquettes. Here's some ideas:
- Japanese cucumber salad (so light and zingy)
- Wakame salad (refreshing)
- Miso soup (lightly salty)
Croquettes also make a nice pairing as part of a bento-box lunch. Serve it with some homemade onigiri or as a side for the iconic Japanese egg sando.
How do you keep croquettes from falling apart?
THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE: don't add moisture to the potato mixture! Additional moisture will cause then croquette potato discs to fall apart when dredging. Moisture will also create greater risk of them exploding when drying them - the moisture wants to turn into steam and escape the croquette.
Tips to keep croquettes solid:
- Squeeze out moisture from corn kernels with a napkin before adding to potato mixture
- Ensure to drain potatoes well before mashing them
- If you accidentally added too much moisture, add ½ tablespoon of white flour to the mixture
- Make sure to leave croquette discs in the freezer for about 30 minutes before dredging. This helps them keep their shape when dunked in the eggy mixture.
Japanese Croquettes Recipe
Japanese Croquettes (Korokke)
Ingredients
Croquette Filling
- 3 large yukon gold potatoes peeled, boiled
- ½ cup corn kernels drained
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup green onion minced
- ½ cup cooked meat of your choice: ground beef, salmon, tuna, chicken chopped into small pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Crispy Crust
- 2 cups panko crumbs
- 2 eggs beaten
- 3 cups frying oil
Instructions
Prepare Filling
- Peel and chop potato into even chunks. Boil for about 15 mins or until can be pierced easily with a fork.
- Prepare green onions, corn, carrots, and meat of your choice. If using canned tuna, ensure it's drained to prevent excess moisture in the filling mixture.
- When potatoes are ready, mash to a smooth texture with some chunks in it for texture. Gently fold in all other filling ingredients.
- With semi-wet hands, scoop ~½ cup of filling mixture and shape into a small disc shape. Place on a cookie tray. Create croquette discs until all filling is used up. Place cookie tray in freezer for 20-30 minutes so it hardens in prep for coating.
Coat Croquettes
- In a bowl, beat eggs. In another bowl, pour into panko crust. This is your dredging station.
- Take each croquette, gently dip in eggs, then toss in panko crumbs to fully cover. Place each coated croquette on a seperate cookie tray. Continue until every croquette is coated.
Shallow Fry Croquettes
- Place oil in a small pan suitable for shallow frying. Heat on medium-high heat until it reaches 190 °C (374 °F). One by one, place one croquette into the oil. Let each side fry for about 2 minutes until its golden brown. Repeat on other side. When done, place croquette on a plate with a paper towel.
- Serve warm with mayo on side to dip.
