Japanese · snack

Korokke (Potato and Beef Croquettes)

Name: Korokke (Potato and Beef Croquettes)
Prep time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: potatoes — 700 g; salt — 5 g; onion — 150 g; unsalted butter — 15 g; ground beef — 200 g; soy sauce — 15 g; caster sugar — 4 g; ground white pepper — 1 g; all-purpose flour — 60 g; eggs — 100 g; water — 15 g; bread crumbs — 120 g; canola oil — 920 g; tonkatsu sauce — 60 g; white cabbage — 150 g

Korokke (Potato and Beef Croquettes) reads richness 5.7, umami 5.6 and salinity 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Japanese snack, about 1 hr 55 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.3 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 5.0 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.1 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.5 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.1 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.7 · Umami 5.6 · Salinity 4.9 · Sweetness 4.5 · Allium 3.1 · Funk & Ferment 2.5 · Sourness 2.1 · Fruity 1.5 · Nutty 1.3 · Earthy 1.3 · Bitterness 1.2 · Warm Spice 1.2 · Heat 0.7

What's in it (15)

potatoes — 700 g
salt — 5 g
onion — 150 g
unsalted butter — 15 g
ground beef — 200 g
soy sauce — 15 g
caster sugar — 4 g
ground white pepper — 1 g
all-purpose flour — 60 g
eggs — 100 g
water — 15 g
bread crumbs — 120 g
canola oil — 920 g
tonkatsu sauce — 60 g
white cabbage — 150 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 55 min (55 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 99.5 kcal, 5.1 g protein, 3.9 g fat, 12.9 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 18 to 20 minutes until a knife meets no resistance, drain them and return them to the dry pan over low heat for 30 seconds to steam off. Mash them coarsely; a few lumps are correct, and a food processor turns them to glue.
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 6 to 7 minutes until soft and sweet with no colour. Add the beef, break it up, and fry 4 to 5 minutes until it has lost all pinkness and the fat is running clear. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar and white pepper and cook 1 minute more, until the pan is dry.
Fold the meat mixture through the potato and taste for salt; it should be a touch saltier than seems right, because the coating will mute it. Spread the mixture on a tray and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Warm korokke mix will not hold its shape and will burst in the oil, which is the single failure of this dish.
Divide into 10 portions and shape each into a flat oval about 2 cm thick, pressing firmly so there are no air pockets inside. Dredge in flour, tapping off the excess, then egg, then press into panko on all sides, patting rather than rolling.
Heat the oil to 175 C. Fry 3 or 4 at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until the panko is a deep even gold and the croquettes float high in the oil and sound hollow when tapped with tongs. Drain upright on a rack, never on a flat surface, or the underside steams soft.
Serve hot with a mound of the cold shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce squeezed over the top. In Japan these are as often bought by the piece from a butcher's counter, wrapped in paper and eaten standing up, as they are made at home.
Substitutions: a 50:50 mix of beef and pork can stand in for the ground beef; other neutral oil can stand in for the canola oil.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Southern Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust — Southern
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Lentils — British
Sheet-Pan Turkey Meatloaf with Green Beans — American
Italian Wedding Soup — Italian
Chinese Stir-Fried Pork — Chinese

Keep reading: what richness, umami, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.