Kabocha Korokke – A Japanese Croquette

Cut the kabocha squash into quarters leaving the skin on and then remove the seeds. Place on the roasting tray and cover with foil.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ Fan 160°C/ Gas Mark 4 and put the Kabocha in for 50- 60 minutes until completely soft. Roast them slowly to improve the creamy texture.

In the meantime, dice the onion into small pieces and remove the stalks from the mushrooms. Cut the mushrooms into small pieces. Sauté the onions and mushrooms over a medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.

Remove the Kabocha from the oven, peel off the skins and place into a bowl. Then mash well, adding the white miso, ground sesame seeds, a pinch of salt, chopped chives and the sautéed onion and mushrooms. Let the mixture cool, before the next step. Heat the oil in the uncoated frying pan and add the panko breadcrumbs, spreading evenly. Cook until the panko breadcrumbs are a light brown colour. This will add some colour first without the need for deep frying. Pour the crumbs onto a large plate.

Take a small handful of the kabocha mixture and make a circular flat shape. Pat each shape in the panko to coat each patty, making about 8-10 croquettes in total. Place onto a non-stick oven tray.

Put the Korokke into the oven at 200°C/ 180°C Fan/ Gas Mark 6 for 15 minutes until they become a rich golden brown colour.

To make the sauce, put all the sauce ingredients except the sesame seeds in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Add the ground sesame seeds and serve.

Yuki’s Tips

If you wish to eat the Korokke later, you can freeze them before they are cooked, after having added the breadcrumbs, then just cook them whenever you like. You can defrost them first or simply cook for 5 minutes longer, if you put the oven from the freezer directly.