Korokke (Japanese Croquettes)
コロッケ · Korokke
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Korokke are Japan's take on the croquette: a soft mashed-potato filling with ground meat, carrot and onion, coated in panko and deep-fried until golden. They arrived in Japan from the West in the Meiji era and have long since become an everyday favorite at home, in school lunches and at butcher shops. This version uses instant mashed potato flakes, as many preschool kitchens do, so the filling comes together quickly and stays smooth and easy for little ones to eat. Slowly sautéing the carrot and onion draws out their natural sweetness, which is all the seasoning these croquettes need to have kids clean their plates.
Toddlers to adults. The whole family can eat this exactly as written.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 27 gground beef and pork mixIn Japan a blend of ground beef and pork is sold pre-mixed; use roughly half and half. Substitute: All ground beef, or mix equal parts ground beef and ground pork.
- 24 gcarrot
- 24 gonion
- 2 gvegetable oil
- 0.5 gsalt
Batter
- 18 ginstant mashed potato flakes
- 4.8 gskim milk powderMilk with the fat and water removed. Substitute: No skim milk powder? Leave it out and use milk in place of the water it is dissolved in, in the same amount (for example, 30 g skim milk powder + 130 g water becomes 130 g milk). Milk still contains milk, so this swap is not for a milk allergy.
- 60 ghot water
Coating
- 9 gflour
- 13.5 gwater
- 9 gpanko
- to tasteoil for deep-frying
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- ground beef and pork mix (合い挽き肉)
- In Japan a blend of ground beef and pork is sold pre-mixed; use roughly half and half. Substitute: All ground beef, or mix equal parts ground beef and ground pork.
- skim milk powder (スキムミルク)
- Milk with the fat and water removed. Substitute: No skim milk powder? Leave it out and use milk in place of the water it is dissolved in, in the same amount (for example, 30 g skim milk powder + 130 g water becomes 130 g milk). Milk still contains milk, so this swap is not for a milk allergy.
Directions
Video is in Japanese — the steps below are synced to it, so tap ▶ on a step to jump to that moment.
- 1
Finely chop the carrot and onion. Place them in a heatproof bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap leaving a gap for steam to escape, and microwave at 1200W for about 2 minutes 30 seconds.
- 2
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and sauté the vegetables from step 1 over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- 3
Add the ground beef and pork mix and cook, stirring, until it is no longer pink. Add the salt and give it a quick stir. Transfer to a tray and let cool.
- 4
In a bowl, combine the instant mashed potato flakes and skim milk powder, pour in the boiling water and mix quickly until combined. The skim milk powder is added to boost calcium, so you can leave it out if you prefer. At this stage the potato mixture should be on the firm side.
- 5
Add the cooled filling from step 3, mix well, then divide into equal portions and shape into rounds.
- 6
Make a batter by combining the flour and water (mix thoroughly until there are no lumps). Coat each croquette in the batter, then in panko, making sure the sides are evenly covered too.
- 7
Lower the croquettes into oil heated to 180°C (350°F). After about 2 minutes, begin turning them occasionally, and fry for about 5 minutes in total. If you touch them right after they go in, the coating will peel off, so be patient and leave them alone for about 2 minutes.
Three things keep croquettes from bursting in the oil: let the filling cool, coat them thoroughly, and don't touch them right after they go in. Sautéing the carrot and onion well brings out their sweetness, giving the croquettes a gentle, natural sweetness. To freeze, make them through step 7, wrap each croquette individually in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag and freeze. When you're ready to eat, fry them straight from frozen in 180°C (350°F) oil for about 7 to 8 minutes. They keep for about 2 weeks, but enjoy them as soon as you can.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 340.5 kcal | 681 kcal | 340.5 kcal |
| Protein | 9.8 g | 19.5 g | 9.8 g |
| Fat | 18.6 g | 37.2 g | 18.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 36 g | 72 g | 36 g |
| Fiber | 3 g | 6 g | 3 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 73.5 mg | 147 mg | 73.5 mg |
| Iron | 1.4 mg | 2.7 mg | 1.4 mg |
| Potassium | 513 mg | 1026 mg | 513 mg |
| Phosphorus | 133.5 mg | 267 mg | 133.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | Phosphorus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 340.5 kcal | 9.8 g | 18.6 g | 36 g | 3 g | 0.6 g | 73.5 mg | 1.4 mg | 513 mg | 133.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 681 kcal | 19.5 g | 37.2 g | 72 g | 6 g | 1.2 g | 147 mg | 2.7 mg | 1026 mg | 267 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
