← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 600 g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 150 g beef or pork mince
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Black pepper
• 4 tbsp Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 Eggs, beaten
• 80 g Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 l neutral oil, for deep-frying
• 4 tbsp tonkatsu sauce, to serve
• ¼ Cabbage, finely shredded, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15–20 min, until very tender. Drain, return to the pot over low heat for 1 minute to steam off moisture, then mash.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 min, until soft. Add the mince and cook for 4–5 min, breaking it up, until browned. Season with the sugar, soy, salt and pepper.
3. Mix the meat into the mash, let it cool, then shape into 8 oval patties about 2 cm thick. Chill for 30 min so they hold their shape.
4. Coat each patty in flour, then egg, then press firmly into the panko.
5. Heat the oil to 180°C (355°F) and fry 3 or 4 at a time for 2–3 min, until deep golden. The filling is already cooked, so you are only heating it through and crisping the crust.
6. Drain on a rack and serve hot with tonkatsu sauce and shredded cabbage.

Tips

• Make them vegetarian with sweetcorn and peas instead of mince. Shaped, uncooked korokke freeze well; fry from frozen at 170°C (340°F) for a little longer.
• Contains wheat, egg and soy.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Just One Cookbook RecipeTin Japan Japanese Cooking 101