Add channel

Kabocha pumpkin croquette Recipe

Okaeri Recipe Channel
Videos: 94

Ingredients

1 Japanese kabocha
1 small brown onion (or ½ medium brown onion)
1 tablespoons low-fat milk (2%) for kabocha mixture
1 egg
Splash of milk for the egg mixture (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)
2 cups panko bread crumbs
¼ cup flour
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon butter for sauteeing onions (olive oil may be substituted)
Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Cooking spray
Optional dipping sauce: ketchup and tonkatsu sauce mixture (ratio 1:1)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Wash kabocha, seeds removed, and cut into wedges.
Line baking sheet(s) with foil and gently spray with cooking spray. Lay kabocha wedges on the sheets, gently season with salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, finely dice the brown onion. Saute in butter or olive oil until browned. Set aside.
Allow kabocha to cool. Gently spoon cooked squash into a bowl, separating it from it's skin. Add sauteed onions and mash kabocha mixture using a potato masher.
Gently season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and gently incorporate.
Place kabocha mixture in the refrigerator to cool completely. I found that working with the cold mixture is slightly easier than working with the warm mixture when rolling the kabocha korokke into balls. Don't worry, the mixture will be very soft and almost difficult to shape into a ball, but it's doable. And they will turn out great!
Set-up a work station: place kabocha balls on a plate, flour in a small deep dish, combine egg and a splash of milk in a second small deep dish, panko bread crumbs in a third deep dish. OPTIONAL: Season flour with a dash of salt and pepper. My mom often does this with anything that is breaded and adding an extra layer of flavor never hurts.
Dip kabocha balls in flour, next in the egg/milk mixture, then coat with panko bread crumbs.
Heat canola or vegetable oil for frying in a medium pan to a temperature of 375. TIP: Or, if you're like me and don't want to break out the thermometer, toss in a piece of panko bread crumb and if it quickly sizzles and floats to the top, your oil is ready.
Fry about 6 kabocha korokke at a time, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Allow kabocha korokke to cool on a plate lined with paper towels. I don't recommend draining the korroke on a wire rack as these korokke are very soft.
Sauce (OPTIONAL): If you would like a simple dipping sauce on the side, trying mixing equal parts of ketchup and tonkatsu sauce. If not, you can drizzle tonkatsu sauce over the kabocha korokke, or you can do what we do which is to eat them plain, no sauce. They taste perfect on their own.