Croquettes are one of the most popular things to eat in Japan.

You can pretty much find them almost anywhere you go-the supermarket deli, bento shops, mom and pop restaurants and meat shops. They are loved by everyone young and old and although they have their origins in France, they are considered comfort food for many Japanese.

My mom’s croquettes are the best in the world!

And I’m not just saying that because she’s my mother. You see, she used to make them in large batches for work and she’s become quite good at making a good croquette. In fact they were her second best-selling item (the first one being her tofu steak) and once you taste these, you’ll understand why. Besides tasting great they are quite easy to make once you get the hang of it.

Here are some tips for the best results.

• Boil the potatoes whole with the skin on to prevent watery croquettes.
• Chop onions as finely as possible for the best texture.
• Saute the onions until they are are a nice light-brown color to help with binding ingredients.
• If you don’t have sherry or white wine, feel free to omit it completely.
• For variety, try ground chicken or minced seafood. Use peas and carrots for a vegetarian croquette.

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Japanese Croquettes

Rating  5 from 1 reviews

Ingredients

• 6 medium-sized potatoes
• 6 oz. ground pork or beef
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 2 tablespoon sherry ( or white wine )
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 2 cups fine bread crumbs like panko
• salt
• black pepper
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Put washed unpeeled potatoes into a large pot with enough water to cover the the potatoes. Boil the potatoes until they are just soft.
2. Peel the potatoes and mash until fairly smooth.
3. Finely chop the onions.
4. Sauté the onions in 2 tbsp of oil until golden brown and translucent.
5. Add the ground meat and ½ tspn salt. Sauté for 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp pepper and continue cooking.
6. When the meat has thoroughly cooked, add the sherry and soy sauce. Stir and cook until combined.
7. Add the ground meat mixture to the potatoes and mix to combine well.
8. Put the flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs into separate shallow pans.
9. Shape the mixture into flat oval shaped patties about ⅔ inch thick making 16 croquettes.
10. Put the patties into the flour, beaten eggs, then the bread crumbs in that order making sure they are completely coated each time.
11. Prepare a pan with oil to 350 F (180C). You can also test it by sprinkling some bread crumbs into the oil. If it immediately floats on the surface and sizzles, it should be ready.
12. Cook for 40-60 seconds or until it's golden brown and crispy on the outside.
13. Serve with a cream sauce or a gravy of your choice.
14. Garnish with some sliced cabbage and baby tomatoes if desired.

3.2.2925

Almost every Japanese has childhood memories of bentos (box lunches) made by their mother or father. In recent years there’s a trend for adults to bring their own bentos to work and a plethora of bento cookbooks have made their presence in local bookstores. This book shows you how easy it is to make bentos that are aesthetically pleasing as well as tasting good.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Shinichi Mine is from Tokyo and loves to share his passion for travel and great food. You can enjoy his website here and don’t miss his You Tube channel for more food, travel and fun. Shinichi also has a fabulous selection of recipes and articles here.