Bread & Yellow Alu (Potato) Croquettes

Potato Croquettes

In what now seems to be a distant and past life, I was fortunate to be mentored by a gourmet cook who taught me a lot of what I know today about feeding my family. Mum was a huge influence throughout my life but when I left home, the coaching continued as I grew up and had a family of my own.

Yellow Alu

The basis for this appetizer is the leftover Yellow Alu I made yesterday.  Replacing the potatoes with spiced ground lamb creates a delicious non-vegetarian croquette. I like to use Japanese panko crumbs to roll these in because they remain crisp and absorb little to no oil. 

Cross-Section

After pan-frying them to a golden brown all around, the surface forms a crisp crust with a soft and creamy center. If I'm preparing to feed a crowd, I would form and refrigerate the croquettes and roll them in panko just before pan-frying them.

Lunch for Two

With Caramel Custard for dessert, this batch of croquettes hit the spot for lunch today. They can be served as a first course to an Indian meal or as a snack with tea between meals.

Ingredients:

1 cup Yellow Alu 

2 slices white bread

1/2 cup Japanese panko crumbs

4 Tbsp. oil for pan-frying

Sweet-chili sauce to dip

Directions:

1. Sprinkle water over bread just until damp and set aside to soften.
2. Mash potatoes with softened bread to form a stiff dough.
3. Divide into 5 portions and roll in panko until all surfaces are coated.
4. Heat oil in a cast-iron pan and pan-fry until golden brown.
5. Drain on paper towels and serve with sweet-chili sauce.