Yasai korokke (vegetable croquettes)

These versatile golden potato, pea and corn croquettes can be made with fresh, frozen or canned vegetables.

Yasai korokke (vegetable croquettes). Credit: Quadrille

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

For the filling

• 500 g (1lb 2oz) potatoes
• 500 ml (17fl oz/2 cups plus 2 tbsp) neutral oil, such as rapeseed (canola) or sunflower for frying, plus 1 tbsp extra
• 1 carrot, cut into small dice
• ½ white onion, diced
• 100 g (3½ oz) sweetcorn (corn)
• 50 g (1¾ oz) petits pois or peas
• 1½ tbsp butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dipping sauce

• 2 tbsp okonomiyaki sauce
• 2 tbsp ketchup

For the breading

• 1 egg
• 50 g (1¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 75 g (2½ oz) panko breadcrumbs

Chilling time: 30 minutes.

Instructions

1. Peel and quarter the potatoes, then cook in a pan of boiling salted water for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain, allow them to steam dry, then mash. The mash doesn’t have to be completely smooth and creamy – it can have a bit of texture to it.
2. Heat the tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat, add the carrot and onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until tender, then add to the mashed potato mix. Stir in the sweetcorn and peas, add the butter, season with salt and pepper and mix gently.
3. Shape the mash mixture into about 10 even-sized ovals and place on a plate. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
4. Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. When the croquettes are chilled, get the batter station ready: put the whisked egg in one bowl, the flour in another and the breadcrumbs in a third bowl. Dip the croquettes first in the in flour, then the egg and finally the panko.
5. To fry, heat the 500ml (17fl oz/2 cups plus 2 tbsp) oil in a heavy-based pan filled no more than halfway to 170ºc (340ºF). if you don’t have a thermometer, dip the tip of a wooden or bamboo chopstick into the oil. When it’s hot enough, a steady stream of small air bubbles will rise to the surface. When the oil is hot, carefully add 2–3 croquettes at a time so as not to overcrowd the pan. They should take around 2 minutes per side to cook until golden brown.
6. Remove the croquettes with a slotted spoon and transfer to a draining rack with a plate underneath to catch the drips, to drain any excess oil. Keep them warm while you cook the remaining croquettes.
7. Serve straight away with the sauce on the side.

Note

• The only thing better than having freshly fried food is the thought of having leftovers the next day. Korokke sandwiches are huge in Japan. There’s something incredibly comforting about potato that’s been deep-fried in breadcrumbs and then stuffed into slightly sweet white bread.
• I’ve stuck to vegetables that can be used fresh, frozen or canned to save a run to the supermarket. If you wanted to level it up, you could fry cubes of Spam and add them, too.

This is an edited extract from Umai by Millie Tsukagoshi Lagares, published by Quadrille. Photography by Lizzie Mayson and Lucy Laucht.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.