Korroke with tuna filling

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 500 g potatoes, large
• 1 small onion(s)
• ½ can tuna
• 500 ml oil, for frying
• 1 tbsp oil, for frying
• 1 shot of water
• 1 pinch(s) of salt and pepper
• 1 dash of soy sauce
• Flour for breading
• 1 egg(s) for breading
• e.g. breadcrumbs, Japanese (Panko), for breading

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

Japanese potato croquettes – also suitable cold in a bento

Peel the onion and chop it into small cubes. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cook until tender. Fry the onions in a pan with oil until golden brown. Add the tuna and continue cooking briefly. If it gets too dry, deglaze with a little water. Season generously with salt, pepper, and a little soy sauce. Continue cooking briefly until the water has almost evaporated. Peel the potatoes and roughly mash them with a fork. Add the tuna filling, mix, and season again with salt and pepper. I also like to add a little chili. It should have a strong flavor, but not too salty. And don’t mix it for too long. Shape the mixture into oval, medium-sized discs (you can also make them completely round or rectangles, it’s up to you—typical korokke shapes are closer to oval or round). Coat everything alternately in flour, then in egg, and finally in panko. Deep-fry in a large pan with plenty of oil. Do not (!) fry in a small amount of oil, as this could burn and the panko coating will turn unevenly yellow and not as crispy. Drain well on kitchen paper. Serve with shredded cabbage, lettuce, tonkatsu sauce, and/or mayonnaise. Tips: Classic korokke are filled with minced meat. You can also make them with canned tuna or shrimp if you don’t want meat. Or you can make them completely vegetarian by using corn or other diced vegetables instead of meat. It’s important that you use Japanese panko and not regular German breadcrumbs. Panko is just white bread without a crust. With panko, it’s much crispier and fluffier, and creates the typical korokke flavor. You can find panko in your Asian store near the tempura flour. It looks like small dried white bread flakes and is not expensive at all. If you want to make panko bread at home, you can try crumbling white bread without the crust and toasting it in a pan without oil over low heat until it’s crispy and dry. I’ve never tried this technique, though.