Kabocha Korokke (かぼちゃコロッケ, pumpkin croquette)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Steamer basket, or a pot for simmering
• •Wide pan for drying the mash
• •Three shallow dishes for coating
• •Deep heavy pot
• •Frying thermometer, or the panko test
• •Wire rack for draining

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the kabocha

   Cut the kabocha into large chunks, leaving some green skin on if it is clean and tender. Steam or simmer it until a skewer slides through easily, 15 to 18 minutes. Steaming gives the driest mash, which is useful here, because water is the enemy of a croquette that must hold itself together.

   If you simmer instead of steam, drain the pieces very well and let them sit uncovered for a few minutes so surface water can leave.
2. 2

   Dry the mash

   Scoop the soft flesh from any tough skin and mash it in a pan over low heat with the plant butter, soy sauce, salt, and white pepper. Stir for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mash pulls from the pan in a heavy mass and no wet shine gathers at the bottom. This drying is not fussiness. It is the reason the korokke keeps its shape in the oil.

3. 3

   Shape and chill

   Taste the mash. It should be gently salty and sweet, with the soy sitting behind the squash rather than shouting over it. Divide into 8 portions, shape each into a thick oval, and set them on a tray. Chill for at least 20 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cold patties take their coating neatly and do not soften the moment they meet hot oil.

   Make them smaller than a Western croquette. Smaller korokke fry before the crumb darkens, and they are easier to turn without breaking.
4. 4

   Coat with panko

   Put a little flour in one dish. In a second dish, whisk 3 tablespoons flour with 5 tablespoons cold water to make a smooth batter. Put the panko in a third dish. Dust each patty lightly with flour, dip it in the batter, then press it gently into panko until covered on all sides. The flour helps the batter cling, and the batter gives the panko something to hold.

5. 5

   Fry until crisp

   Heat 5cm of neutral oil to 170 C. Fry 2 or 3 korokke at a time, turning once, until the panko is evenly golden and the surface feels crisp when lifted, about 2 minutes per side. The filling is already cooked, so you're frying the coat, not cooking the center. Crowding lowers the oil temperature and makes the crumb drink oil.

   No thermometer? Drop in a pinch of panko. It should sink briefly, rise at once, and fizz steadily without darkening immediately.
6. 6

   Drain and serve

   Lift the korokke to a rack, not paper towels, so the bottom stays crisp. Serve with finely shredded cabbage and a small dish of plant-based chuno sauce or tonkatsu-style sauce. Sauce belongs beside it, not over it. The squash should still speak first.

Chef Tips

• •Choose kabocha that feels heavy for its size, with a hard dull rind and a dry corky stem. A watery squash makes watery mash, and no amount of panko will politely fix that.
• •If the mash still feels loose after seasoning, keep it over low heat and stir. Add flour only as a last resort; it dulls the sweet, clean flavor you chose the kabocha for.
• •Traditional korokke often uses egg in the coating. For a plant-based table, a flour-and-water batter is a sensible stand-in because it does the same job: it anchors the panko without changing the heart of the dish.
• •Fry in small batches. Korokke is humble food, but it still asks for room in the oil. Give it that, and the crust stays crisp instead of greasy.

Advance Preparation

• •The kabocha mash can be made one day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.
• •Shaped, uncoated patties can be chilled up to one day. Coat them just before frying so the panko stays dry.
• •Fried korokke are best eaten soon after cooking. To refresh leftovers, warm them on a rack in a 180 C oven until the crust crisps again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 280g)