After making the mashed potato spring rolls, I had a bit of leftover mashed potatoes so I decided to improvise and create a Vietnamese-flavoured croquette. I’m in love with what I like to think of as Vietnamese meat loaf: ground pork studded with wood ear mushrooms and shallots, flavoured with fish sauce, sugar, soy, white pepper and five spice.

I could eat this meat in anything: Vietnamese-inspired lasagne, Vietnamese-inspired shepherd’s pie, Vietnamese-inspired sausage rolls, Vietnamese-inspired ravioli, and the list keeps going on. I love the juicy savouriness of the ground pork, the subtle crunch of the wood ear mushrooms, the sweetness of the shallots and the tang of the fish sauce.

The flavours tasted great with the mashed potatoes and if you’re not inclined to deep-fry, you can just eat the potatoes with the meat mixed in. Mike and I ate almost half of the potatoes straight out of the bowl.

Pork and Potato Croquette Recipe



2 cups mashed potatoes

5 ounces ground pork

1/2 shallot diced

2 tablespoons wood ear mushrooms, re-hydrated and sliced

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons soy

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

dash of five spice

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup panko crumbs

oil for frying

Mix the ground pork with the shallots, wood ear mushrooms, sugar, fish sauce, soy, white pepper and five spice. Heat a splash of oil in a medium sauce pan over medium high-heat and pan fry the pork until cooked and crumbly. Cool.

Mix the ground pork into the mashed potatoes and taste. Season accordingly with salt and pepper.

Using your hands, or a small ice cream scoop, shape the mashed potato mixture into balls. Dip in the flour, then the egg then the panko. Heat about 2 1/2 inches of oil in a deep sided pot to 350˚F. Deep-fry the croquette until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels, serve with sriracha, mint and Thai basil leaves. Enjoy!

Tags: croquettes, fish sauce, panko, potato, wood ear mushrooms

