But there is one vegetarian topping that is just absolutely divine: the potato croquette (korokke).  Creamy mashed potato patties laced with butter and onions, deep-fried in a crispy panko jacket; as satisfying as meat katsu but not made of 50% batter like veggie tempura.  Croquettes are mythical in the sense that they rarely show up on Japanese curry menus in America.  Heed my advice, stop chasing the dragon and make them yourselves. It’s mind-blowingly simple.

Ingredients (Makes 6-8 croquettes):

• 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered and peeled
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 cup of panko
• 1 cup of flour
• 2 eggs beaten
• 4 cups of vegetable oil (depends on pot size , have a bottle of oil on standby)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Drop potato pieces in and boil potatoes until tender.  Strain and set aside.

2. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Sauté dice onions in melted butter until onion pieces are soft and translucent.

3. Combine the potatoes, onions, and remaining butter in a bowl.  Mash with fork, or if you’re fancy, a potato masher.  Salt and pepper to taste.

4. This is the hard part: restrain yourself from eating the potato-onion mixture.  Surprisingly difficult, but focus, and you’ll get through it.

5. Rub some vegetable oil over your hands and shape the potato mixture into the size of generous golf balls.  Flatten them slightly with your palms.  Beware of cracks and air bubbles or else they might explode due to expansion.

6. Set up your breading station:  a dish of flour, a bowl of beaten eggs, and a dish of  panko.  Prepare your patties in this order; dredge with flour, dip in egg wash, and coat in panko.

7. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  When the oil reaches ~350F, fry  patties until golden brown.  Remove from oil and set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil.

Look at that.  Friggin awesome.

See, when I was growing up, the only type of croquettes I ate were Taiwanese knock-offs that came in a freezer bag.  They tasted like Elmer’s glue and moldy potatoes.  Homemade croquettes are far superior, and totally glue-free.