Japanese

Korokke (Japanese Potato Croquettes)

Name: Korokke (Japanese Potato Croquettes)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese

Crunchy panko-crumbed Japanese croquettes filled with fluffy mashed potato, beef mince and onion. The cheap and cheerful butcher-shop snack, served with tonkatsu sauce and shredded cabbage.

Serves

Prep

mins

Cook

mins

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Ingredients

Pantry bits

Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs)

Tonkatsu Sauce

Soy Sauce

700g floury potatoes, such as Sebago or Russet, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tbsp neutral oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
200g beef mince (or half beef, half pork)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
20g butter
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups (100g) panko breadcrumbs
Neutral oil, for deep-frying
Tonkatsu sauce, to serve
1/4 white cabbage, very finely shredded, to serve

Instructions

Put the potatoes in a saucepan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes until very tender. Drain, return to the pan over low heat for 1 minute to steam dry, then mash with the butter.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft and golden. Add the mince and cook, breaking it up, until browned. Add the soy sauce and sugar and cook until the liquid has evaporated.
Mix the mince into the mashed potato and season well with salt and pepper. Spread on a tray and leave to cool completely, then chill for 20 minutes. Cold filling is much easier to shape and won't burst.
Divide into 8 portions and shape each into a flat oval about 2cm thick.
Set up three bowls: flour, beaten egg and panko. Coat each croquette in flour, then egg, then press firmly into the panko.
Heat 4cm of oil in a heavy saucepan to 180°C. Fry 3-4 korokke at a time for 2-3 minutes, turning once, until deep golden. The filling is already cooked, so you are just crisping the outside.
Drain on a wire rack. Serve hot with tonkatsu sauce and shredded cabbage.

About this dish

Korokke (コロッケ) are Japan's take on the French croquette, and they are everywhere: butcher shops fry them to order, supermarkets sell them warm, and they go into bento boxes and soft white bread rolls. The classic filling is mashed potato with beef mince and onion seasoned with soy and sugar, coated in crisp panko.

They use the same crumbing method as tonkatsu and the same sweet, fruity tonkatsu sauce, so if you have made one, you can make the other. Serve with rice and miso soup, or with Japanese curry for korokke curry.

Tips for the best result

Use floury potatoes and dry them well after boiling. Wet mash makes soft croquettes that can split in the oil.
Chill the filling before shaping. Warm mash is sticky and hard to handle.
Press the panko on firmly so you get an even, craggy crust.
Fry only a few at a time to keep the oil at 180°C.

Substitutions

Vegetarian: leave out the mince and add 1 cup of corn kernels or cooked mixed vegetables. Kabocha pumpkin korokke are also popular.
Air fryer: spray the crumbed korokke well with oil and cook at 200°C for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway. The crust is lighter but still crunchy.
Gluten-free: use gluten-free flour and gluten-free panko or crushed rice crackers, and tamari instead of soy sauce.

Storage and freezing

Freeze crumbed, uncooked korokke on a tray, then bag them for up to 2 months. Fry from frozen at 170°C for 5-6 minutes. Cooked korokke reheat well in a 200°C oven or air fryer for 8-10 minutes.

Korokke FAQs

Why did my korokke burst in the oil?

The filling was too warm or wet, or there were gaps in the crumb. Chill the filling well, coat it completely and keep the oil hot so the crust sets fast.