Kabocha Korokke: Japanese Pumpkin Croquette

A flavorful Japanese kabocha croquette offers a comforting, simple fall dish.

Category Tags:

AppetizerDinnerSide Dish

Cuisine Tags:

JapaneseAsian

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Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare a foil-lined, sprayed baking sheet.

  2. Wash, halve, deseed, and cut the kabocha into wedges, then arrange them on the baking sheet.

  3. Drizzle kabocha with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until tender. Let cool.

  4. While kabocha bakes, finely dice an onion and sauté it in butter until browned; set aside.

  5. Scoop the baked kabocha flesh into a bowl, discard the rind, then add the sautéed onions and mash thoroughly.

  6. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, then mix in 1 tablespoon of milk and refrigerate until completely cool.

  7. Form the cooled kabocha mixture into walnut-sized balls.

  8. Prepare three separate dishes: one with seasoned flour, one with a mixture of egg and 1 tablespoon milk, and one with panko breadcrumbs.

  9. Coat each kabocha ball by dipping it first in flour, then the egg wash, and finally in panko.

  10. Heat canola oil to 375 F in a saucepan.

  11. Fry half of the croquettes at a time for 1 to 2 minutes until golden, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Serve as desired.

Nutritional Info (per serving)

Calories: 380 kcal
Carbohydrate: 33 g
Cholesterol: 47 mg
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Sodium: 366 mg
Sugar: 5 g
Fat: 25 g
Unsaturated Fat: 0 g