ramyaramesh3007The crispiest vegan pumpkin croquette paired with a umami and sour tonkatsu sauce. Eat it on its own or try it in a onigirazu!
When I looked up pumpkin croquettes recipes, most of them contains egg as a binder so I thought why not come up with a way to veganize it? I also had recently visited a vegan restaurant called Saute San where I tried their pumpkin croquettes and was in love with the crunchy exterior and soft, flavourful pumpkin interior.
It pairs well with some tonkatsu sauce drizzled over it. I used it to make onigirazu (something like a sushi sandwich!) instead using the 4-way tortilla hack that went viral on Tiktok! I used sesame crusted tofu, sushi rice, thinly shaved cucumbers and avocado. You can see the video below for how I did it:
@browngirlvegan These Japanese Kabocha Croquettes are my fav pumpkin recipe this 🍂 szn✨ #japanesefood #veganrecipes #pumpkinrecipes #vegansoftiktok #recipes #viral #asmr #asmrfood ♬ そよ風 – SHISE
Tips to get the perfect croquette
- Don’t skip the refrigeration step!
I popped my pumpkin mash with spices into the freezer for about 30 minutes for it to thicken and harden. This step is crucial because we don’t add any external binders like flour.
2. Shallow frying still works
Because this croquettes are small, shallow frying still works. Be generous with the oil used to fry and drain the excess afterwards. I wouldn’t recommend pan frying as you won’t get the beautiful golden colour and crispiness.
3. Yes, these croquettes are freezer friendly
You can make the croquettes and freeze them for up to a month for easy cooking. The crispiness and quality all remain the same. However, I would recommend to consume this immediately so the croquettes remain fresh, crispy and not soggy.
Ingredients You Need:
- Pumpkin – Japanese Kabocha Squash
- Spices – nutritional yeast and onion, garlic powders for flavour. If you don’t take onion and garlic, you can also substitute it with hing.
- Oil – neutral oil for frying
To make this gluten free, substitute panko breadcrumbs with gluten free breadcrumbs. For the tonkatsu sauce, be sure to use gluten free soy sauce or other substitutes like tamari or coconut aminos.
Japanese Pumpkin Croquette (Kabocha Korokke)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups kabocha squash cubed
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp black salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp corn starch
For frying
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/2 cup plant milk (oat milk or soy milk)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Tonkatsu Sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sweetener
- splash of water to dilute
Instructions
- Microwave the pumpkin for 3 minutes on high with a lid until soft. You could also steam it.
- Combine cooked pumpkin with salt, black pepper, nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powder. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- In 3 separate bowls, arrange the ingredients needed for frying in this order: corn starch, plant milk and panko breadcrumbs.
- If you're making onigirazu, you can take this time to cook your sushi rice and prepare other ingredients to include – I used sesame crusted tofu, thinly shaved cucumbers and avocado.
- Make the tonkatsu sauce.
- Take the pumpkin out of the fridge and roll it into a patties with your hand. Coat evenly in corn starch, followed by plant milk and lastly, panko breadcrumbs.
- Heat up some oil in the pan. Shallow or deep fry it until crispy.
- Assemble it in an onigirazu using the tortilla wrap hack (in the video above) and you have yourself a beautiful meal.