Kabocha Croquettes

Crisp outside, sweet and savoy inside. Those croquettes are perfect fall season appetizers. Kabocha is an Asian variety of winter squash. It is also commonly called Japanese pumpkin. I adapted from a recipe from Just One Cookbook. I used a whole Kabocha and made about 3 dozen croquettes. 

Ingredients

Kabocha - 1 medium size, about 2-3 lb

Bacon - 6 slices or to taste (I used a whole pack :-)

Onion - 1, minced

Unsalted butter - 1 TBSP

Salt - 1 tsp, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp, or to taste

[For Breading]

All-purpose flour - 1 cup

Buttermilk - 1 cup (made with 1 cup milk + 2 TBSP lemon juice)

Panko - 2 cups or more

[For Deep-frying]

Vegetable oil - 3 cups or more, depends on pot size

Steps

1. Remove seeds and pith from the kabocha and cut into big chunks. Steam kabocha for 20 minutes or until tender (enough that you can mash with fork). Remove the kabocha from the pot and transfer to a bowl. Let it cool until you can touch (but still warm). Remove the skin and mash with a fork.

2. While steaming the kabocha, mince the onion, cut the bacon into small bits. Heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, and add the bacon. Cook until the onion is translucent, tender, and nicely brown. Set aside.

3. Add the onion and bacon mixture to the mashed kabocha. Do not add the excess oil, which could make the mixture too wet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine well together. 

4. Using a cookie scoop (I used a tablespoon), scope batter into ball shape (No worry if it is not perfect round). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes so the balls become firmer. 

5. After 15 minutes, the balls are much easier to handle. Coat kabocha balls in flour and roll them to be more rounded. Put them back to fridge for another 15 minutes. During this time, the flour absorbs moisture. As a result, it will be less splatter in oil and the batter becomes sticker and won’t come off while deep frying.

6. For each ball, coat with buttermilk, and then panko. Cover with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for another 15 minutes. 

7. Heat oil to 340ºF (170ºC) in a pot. Insert the long chopsticks, and when you see small bubbles appear around them, it’s ready to deep fry the croquette. The filling of the croquette is cooked already, so all you need is to fry the coating until golden brown. 

8. Transfer golden kabocha croquette to a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towel. Optionally, sprinkle some salt such as sea salt or Himalayan pink salt. 

Once it’s cooled completely, you can put the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer for up to a month. To serve again, reheat with air fryer for 3-5 minutes.