Crisp & Soft Mixed vegetable Croquettes

This is a unique croquette dish, for it is neither bound with cream sauce nor breaded in crumbs, as are most. Instead, these croquettes are a combination of three starch vegetables: potatoes, plantains and colocasia or arbi. They are cooked individually until soft, mashed or shredded, and blended with little more than salt, pepper, chilies and herbs.
 

Known as Ekadasee croquettes, they are made with out the addition of any form of grain. Fried carefully, the mixture is sufficiently starchy to remain intact, but if the temperature is either too high or low, the croquettes tend to disintegrate. To prevent this disaster, you may want to be on the safe side and bind the mixture with a generous spoon of arrowroot. No matter what your choice, do watch the frying temperature –it should not fall below 360 f (180 C)

 

Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 45 minutes

Cooking time: about 15 minutes

 

Ingredients

• Colocasia corns (arbi), cut into 1 –inch (2.5 cm) pieces – ¾ pound (340 g) 

• Waxy boiling potatoes (about ¾ pound/340 g), peeled – 3 medium-sized 

• Green plantain, about 10 inches (25 cm) long – 1 

• Cracked black pepper – 1 teaspoon (5 ml) 

• Salt – 1 teaspoon (5 ml) 

• Hot chilies, seeded and minced (or as desired) – 2 

• Arrowroot (optional) – 1 table spoon (15 ml) 

• Chopped fresh coriander – 3 table spoons (45 ml) 

• Ghee or oil for deep-frying
 

Preparation

1. Boil the colocasia for 20-25 minutes or until fork-tender. If you have a tiered vegetable steamer, so much the better. You can cook all the vegetables simultaneously. Increase the cooking time by at least 15 minutes, then check to see if it is done every 5 minutes thereafter. Plunge them into cold water and peel off the starchy skins. Set aside to dry out.

2. Cut the potatoes into quarters into boil for 20-30 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain and set aside in a folded clean kitchen towel to dry out.

3. Cut the thick skin from the plantain, removing any fibers. Cut in half and boil for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, shred through the coarse holes on a hand grater into a mixing bowl.

4. Mash together the colocasia and potatoes and add the plantain. Knead in the pepper, chilies, salt, arrowroot and coriander.

5. Wash your hands, rub them with a film of oil and divide the mixture into 14 even pieces. Roll, press and mold into smooth logs about 2 inches (5 cm) long or dough-nuts 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter and set aside on waxed paper.

6. Heat ghee or oil to a depth of at least 1 ½ inches (4 cm) in a deep-fryer until it reaches 370 F (190 C) on a frying thermometer. Add half of the croquettes, making sure not to crowd the pan, and fry until richly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve at once in a napkin-lined basket or fry the remaining batch and serve all together, piping hot.
 

Serves
6 or 7
 

By Yamuna Devi Dasi