Marina Eats: Pork Curry Korokke and Bamboo Blade

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Chiba Kirino of Bamboo Blade often brings her family’s deli’s popular korokke to the dojo, to share with her teammates and coach.  A variation of the croquette, the Japanese korokke is not cylindrical, but looks more like a hamburger patty, round and flattened.  Also unlike its French cousin, the korokke is mostly made of potato, with around less than 5% of the snack comprising of meat.  Crunchy and flaky on the outside, and fluffy hot on the inside, the korokke is a perfect-sized treat for an afternoon snack.  I advise against eating them for a main meal, as they can quickly tire you with their dense potato filling.

 

It’s also a great, on-the-go type of treat that quickly fills you up and prepares you for your day.  There was something so intriguing about Kirino’s cat mouth gobbling up her family’s korokke that inspired me to attempt to make my own.  This particular recipe also yields a large amount of korokke (I ended up with about 2 full, medium-sized Tupperware), so feel free to halve the portions.  But, the large amount also makes this the optimal snack for sharing with your friends and/or family.  My boyfriend and I sat and ate three at a time at the start when they were still crispy fresh, and due to my unpreparedness for the servings, I ended up eating this for a few more days!

To re-heat leftovers and avoid sogginess, either pop them into a 400 F degree oven or 325 F toaster oven for a short bit until they are at your level of crispiness.  You can also pan fry them once again, but I prefer to avoid that since a large amount of oil is already used in their making.

Recipe

(Source: ifood.tv):

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• ¼ lb. ground pork
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Flour and panko, for coating
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes until soft in a large pan. Drain and mash potatoes while they are hot.
2. Saute onion and pork in a medium skillet until cooked. Mix mashed potatoes and onion and pork in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and curry powder.
3. Make flat and oval-shaped patties.
4. Optional: Refrigerate patties over night.  This helps the patties hold their shapes when you cook them.
5. Coat each piece with flour. Dip in beaten egg, and coat with panko at last.
6. Fry in 350 F oil until brown.
7. Serve with mayonnaise and/or tonkatsu sauce for a tasty treat 🙂

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