Thanks for the Meal

Tag: street food

  • Potato Korokke (Japanese Croquettes) Recipe

    Potato Korokke (Japanese Croquettes) Recipe

    Contrary to popular belief, potatoes have always been an integral part of Japanese cooking, especially in the form of potato croquettes (called korokke コロッケ). There are a variety to choose from such as jaga-imo (potato), satsuma imo (sweet potato), sato-imo (taro), and yama imo  (yams)—usually eaten raw.

    Korokke Homemade Potato Croquettes japanese recipe

    When Did Potatoes Come to Japan?

    Potato Croquettes (called Korokke コロッケ) in Japanese have been a beloved, popular and delicious dish enjoyed by both kids and adults since the Taisho Era (1912-1925) when many western foods (yoshoku) gained popularity in Japan.  How to make proper croquettes was even taught at girls’ high schools back then. Today, ready-made and frozen croquettes of infinite variety are available everywhere.  But, the traditional croquette in Japan remains that made only from potatoes.

    Croquette Cooking Tips

    The main secret to a successful croquette is tasty potatoes, a light hand when frying, and to serve it piping hot. Croquettes can become tasteless and soggy very quickly. Having said all of that!, croquettes are also a bento favorite (ie served cold), and as well as popular street food.

    Why not get the kids involved to help make them and make a party out of it? You can make extra, and wrap each individually and freeze. You don’t even have to defrost them to fry them either.

    Croquettes typically use panko (Japanese bread crumbs) which gives a very nice crispy coating. I love panko, and use it all the time, even in non-Japanese recipes.

    Don’t forget to check out the notes section of the recipe for more variations!

    In the notes section of the recipe, I have included some popular variations for you to try as well. 

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    Korokke Homemade Potato Croquettes japanese recipe

    Japanese Potato Croquettes (Korokke)

    Lucy Seligman
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    Course Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine Japanese

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups hot mashed potatoes, such as Russet or Idaho
    • 2 tbsps butter
    • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
    • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
    • 1 tbsp minced white onion or to taste
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley

    Coating:

    • 1 Beaten egg combined with 1 or 2 tablespoons cold water for dipping
    • All-purpose flour as needed
    • Panko (Japanese dried breadcrumbs) as needed*
    • Vegetable oil for deep-frying as needed

    Garnish:

    • Watercress or parsley sprigs
    • Tonkatsu sauce

    Instructions
     

    • Mix all croquette ingredients lightly together (a few lumps are okay). Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
    • Form the croquettes into desired shapes: typical Japanese shapes are either short thick cylinders or small thick patties. Lightly pat all-over with flour (dusting off the excess), dip into egg mixture, and roll in the breadcrumbs, patting off any excess.
    • Quickly deep fry the croquettes in the oil until golden brown, turning once. Don't crowd the pan when doing. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve on a heated platter, garnishing the plate either with watercress or parsley sprigs. Pass Tonkatsu sauce separately. Serve piping hot.

    Notes

    Some popular variations include:
    • Add in cooked ground beef (only use a little), carrot and onion to make Ground Beef & Potato Croquettes. You could also add in minced sauteed mushrooms if you want more vegetables.  Lotus root or gobo (burdock root) could also be a variation (minced and boiled before mixing into potato mixture.)
    • Kani (Crab) Cream Croquette: Uses a white cream sauce, and add in canned or fresh crab as a rich and yummy alternative.
    • You can add in bacon and cheese if you like.  Just adding grated cheese to potatoes would also be another tasty option.
    • Try sweet potato instead of potatoes, or do a combo of both.
    • Season with curry powder to make Curry Croquette for a different flavor.
    • To make a complete meal of Korokke, serve with miso soup and rice, garnishing the plate with sliced tomatoes and julienned cabbage (sengiri).
    *You can also make fresh breadcrumbs if desired instead of using panko.
    Keyword potatoes
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    Leave a note in the comments section and let me know if you made this recipe or a variation and how it turned out!

  • Yakisoba: The Noodle That Came In From The Cold

    Yakisoba: The Noodle That Came In From The Cold

    YakisobaLast year, my daughter’s Japanese teacher at the local high school asked me to teach about 40 kids how to make yakisoba. So one early morning, we crammed into the very small ‘parent’s’ kitchen, set up a number of different stations with electric frying pans, and cooked away. There wasn’t a leftover in sight, and it was a lot of fun. Not only is this a deliciously seductive recipe, but it is very easy to make and a great way to get kids to eat a lot of vegetables painlessly!

    Like any country, Japan has its traditional snack foods. Some of the tastiest can be sampled in the mobile food stalls known as yatai, found at public events, traditional theater, festivals, and fairs – especially at evening cherry blossom-viewing parties in April – and on many a street corner at night.

    The origins of yatai with prop-up roofs and plastic sheeting “walls” against the worst of the weather can be traced back to the early 1700s. A more primitive version, called a suburi yatai, which sold not only foodstuffs but also basic goods and fuel, dates from 1613, in the early Edo period (1603-1867). After a major earthquake in Edo (Tokyo) in 1700, these stalls started to sell dengaku (grilled tofu topped with sweetened miso), a cheap dish popular with traveling samurai as well as locals. Particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters and during other times of famine, yatai came into their own; the government regularly attempted to ban them, claiming that they caused too many fires or disturbed the peace, but by the eighteenth century they were all the rage, reaching a heyday in the 1780s. While early yatai had sold only dried, grilled, or boiled fish, vegetables, and a variety of desserts, by the 1780s they were offering everything from candy to tenpura.

    One of the most popular types of yatai food since the 1700s has been late-night soba (buckwheat noodle) snacks, known in those days as yotaka soba. A yotaka is a nighthawk, but it can also refer to a prostitute, and ladies of the night often ate soba at yatai after a hard evening’s work. The food being cheap but delicious, it was not uncommon for yotaka women to meet some of their customers also enjoying a restorative bowl of noodles before strolling home. Even now, office workers and students studying late into the night drop in at a yatai for midnight feasts of ramen (Chinese noodles).

    Yakisoba (Japanese-style chow mein) is another typical yatai recipe. Although Chinese noodles are used, the dish is entirely Japanese in origin, and has been sold at yatai in Tokyo since the late 1930s. It is thought to have developed as a variation on okonomiyaki, a pancake topped with vegetables and meat or fish and slathered with a sweet, thick sauce, which has been served at yatai since the Edo period. (See my Okonomiyaki recipe: www.thanksforthemeal.net/okonomiyaki)

    Addictive and filling, like many other yatai foods, yakisoba is very easy to make at home. For an informal party, use a large electric frying pan and cook at the dining table.

    This post may include affiliate links, so without costing you anything extra, I’ll earn a small percentage of the sales if you purchase these items through these links. Thank you for your support!

    Yakisoba

    JAPANESE-STYLE YAKISOBA

    Lucy Seligman
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    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 medium-sized onion, peeled and chopped
    • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 7 oz ground lean beef (200g)
    • Black pepper to taste
    • 7 oz chopped cabbage (200g)
    • 1 ¼ lb steamed Chinese noodles (550g )
    • 4 tablespoons water
    • 8 fl oz ready-made yakisoba or okonomiyaki sauce (if unavailable, use equal parts of Worcestershire sauce and ketchup) (240 ml)

    Garnish:

    • Aonori: seaweed flakes to taste
    • Beni shoga: red pickled ginger to taste

    Instructions
     

    • In a wok, deep frying pan, or large electric pan, sauté the onion and cabbage in the oil over medium heat until slightly soft. Add the ground beef and black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the beef begins to change color. Then add the noodles, separating the strands a little with your fingers as you put them in the pan. Continue to cook, stirring, for a few moments.
    • Finally pour in the water, then the yakisoba sauce, and mix well.
    • Serve on individual plates, passing the seaweed and pickled ginger separately to sprinkle over the noodles.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    yakisoba

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