Japanese cream croquette recipe
About Japanese cream croquette
Japanese cream croquette is one of the popular Yoshoku dishes in Japan. (Yoshoku refers to western style Japanese food.) Actually there are two main types of croquettes. One is potato croquette and the other is cream croquette, which is the recipe of today. Although both croquettes were originated in Europe, they have been popular with Japanese people for a long time and have become a very common food. In Japan the croquettes are on the restaurant menu and you can make it at home, or you can buy it at a supermarket or a delicatessen shop.
The Japanese cream croquette is a mixture of béchamel sauce (=white sauce) and some ingredients (eg. crab, shrimp, ham, corn etc) which is coated with panko bread crumbs and deep fried. The outside is crispy and the thick béchamel sauce comes out from the inside and it is very delicious. It takes a little time to make, but it is worth making. Below is a link about béchamel sauce. Please click if you like.
Recipe tips for Japanese cream croquette
About ingredients to mix with béchamel sauce
Crabs and corn are popular ingredients to mix with béchamel sauce, but you can use shrimp, surimi flakes, ham, chicken, mushrooms, spinach etc. alone or in combination. I usually use ham (normal boiled ham, not raw ham). The reason is that you can buy it anywhere and it’s easy to handle. Depending on the recipe, there are many recipes that fry onions and add them to béchamel sauce, but I only add ham. However, I think it is delicious enough. Of course you can use your favourite ingredients.
Regarding béchamel sauce filling
It is important that the béchamel sauce has just the right hardness. If it is too soft, it will be difficult to handle, and if it is too hard, it will lose its creaminess. It should be hard enough to form the shape, but nicely creamy after being deep-fried.
There seem to be many ways to make a smooth béchamel sauce, but I pay attention to the following.
- Fry the butter and flour slowly without coloring to eliminate the powderiness.
- It will take about 5 minutes the butter and flour mixture becomes fluffy and airy. Then you can add milk.
- Add milk in 2-3 portions and mix with a whisk each time until smooth. When it becomes smooth, add the next milk and it will not be lumpy.
- After adding all the milk, boil it over low heat and cook well. Stir with spatula continuously so that it does not burn. Then season with salt and pepper.
Tips for not bursting cream croquettes when frying
There are a lot of things to be aware of, but I wrote the main ones.
- If air remains in the cream filling, the hot oil will cause the air to expand, causing it to burst. Therefore let the air out when you shape croquettes.
- If the temperature of the oil is too low, it will take longer to fry, and the filling will come off and the contents will easily flow out. Let’s fry it in oil heated to 170C – 338F
- If you put a lot of croquettes in frying oil at once, the temperature of the oil will drop, so put one or two gently in.
- Also, be careful not to touch the croquette too much until outside layer get hardened.
Homemade tomato sauce
You can serve Japanese cream croquette with a mixture of tomato ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, but serving with homemade tomato sauce makes it something special. I make a simple tomato sauce while chilling the filling in the fridge. The mild and creamy croquette goes well with the slightly sour tomato sauce. Please try to make it.
Japanese cream croquette recipe
Equipment
- A mold (lightly oil or butter)
- Wok or deep frying pan
- A hand blender (if you make a tomato sauce)
Ingredients
- 40 gram Butter (for béchamel sauce)
- 40 gram Flour (for béchamel sauce)
- 400 ml Milk (for béchamel sauce)
- a little Nutmeg (grated or powdered)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 150 gram Boiled ham (cut into strips or small cubes)
- Extra butter to coat the surface of béchamel sauce
- 4 tablespoon Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Bread crumbs or panko
- Oil for deep-frying
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil (for tomato sauce)
- 2 cloves Garlic (finely chopped for tomato sauce)
- 400 gram Canned tomato (for tomato sauce)
- 1-2 teaspoon Chopped fresh herbs (thyme, basil etc. for tomato sauce)
- 1/2 teaspoon Chicken soup powder or cube (for tomato sauce)
- 1 teaspoon Sugar (for tomato sauce)
- Salt and pepper to taste (for tomato sauce)
Instructions
- Make béchamel sauce : put butter in a pan and melt over low heat. When small bubbles appear, add flour and mix well with a wooden spatula. Fry the butter and flour slowly without coloring to eliminate the powderiness. It will take about 5 minutes the mixture becomes fluffy and airy.
- Add milk to butter and flour mixture in 2-3 portions. Each time you add milk, mix it with a whisk quickly and cook until it's smooth and fluffy. After adding all the milk, boil it over low heat and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir with spatula continuously so that it does not burn.
- Add ham strips to béchamel sauce. Mixing over medium heat, and add a little nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the sauce mixture into a mold and lightly coat the surface of the béchamel sauce mixture with a little butter to avoid drying. When it cools, wrap the surface with cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Make tomato sauce : heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add garlic. Fry garlic for a couple of minutes and add canned tomato, herbs and chicken soup powder. Simmer tomatoes sauce for about 10 minutes over low heat.
- Remove the pan from heat and use a hand blender to make a smooth puree. Put it back over the heat, warm it lightly, and add one teaspoon sugar, a little salt and pepper to taste.
- Start to heat oil to 170C – 338F in a wok or deep frying pan.
- Remove the béchamel sauce mixture from the fridge and divide into 8 equal parts. Lightly apply salad oil to your hands and gently play catch from one hand to the other and back to remove the air inside. Shape them into any shape you like (bale, oval, rectangular etc).Cover the filling with flour, dip it in the beaten eggs. Then cover it with bread crumbs or panko. The whole croquette should be coated evenly.
- Gently slide the 2 croquettes into the oil each time and fry until golden brown ( 3 – 4 minutes). (Leave it for a while and turn it over when the surface hardens.)
- Serve Japanese cream croquettes with tomato sauce and some fresh vegetables.
Notes
It may take more time than a weekday dinner, but you can try to make Japanese cream croquette at weekends or special occasions. Enjoy this Western style Japanese food!
If you like to see more Yoshoku dish, clicke the link below.
Thank you for reading. Bon Appetit!
