Polish Krokiety
Polish Krokiety (Croquettes) are pancakes rolled with stuffing, breaded and fried in a pan. Crispy croquettes are most often served as an addition to borscht. Most often, they are stuffed with meat or cabbage with mushrooms. In my house, they are traditionally prepared for Christmas Eve. On the Christmas Eve table, they often replace dumplings or patties. Below you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about croquettes. If you are preparing croquettes for the first time, I encourage you to read them, but you can also go straight to the list of ingredients below ⬇⬇⬇.
How to make pancake dough for croquettes so that they do not crack?
Pancakes for croquettes must be thin and elastic. You can’t fry them for too long because the pancakes will be burnt and crumbly. The pancake batter should be thin to obtain the thinnest pancakes possible so that the taste and consistency of the pancake will not dominate the filling. The best proportions for pancake batter for croquettes are 2 eggs, 1 cup of flour, ½ cup of milk, 250-300 ml of water and salt. It is best to add less water, fry the first pancake and if the mixture is too thick, add more water to obtain the right consistency. These proportions make approximately 10 pancakes. See the thin pancakes recipe on the blog.
Is baking powder added to pancake batter?
No baking powder is added to pancake batter for croquettes. Baking powder is added to the american fluffy pancakes. Pancakes for croquettes should be thin and flexible so that they wrap well and hold the filling.
What is the best flour for pancakes?
Wheat flour type 405, 450, 480 or 500 is best for pancakes. If we want our pancakes to contain more fiber, we can also use whole grain flour. However, if you are on a gluten-free diet, you can alco use flour that does not contain gluten, e.g. corn. Remember that different types of flour absorb water differently, so it may happen that if you use a different flour, you will have to add a little more or a little less water to obtain the right consistency.
What to add to the croquette filling? What can you make stuffing for croquettes from?
I prepare croquettes traditionally with sauerkraut and mushrooms (champignons and dried mushrooms). Croquettes can also be stuffed with meat (e.g. ground turkey, pork or beef) or vegetables (carrots, peas, beans, corn) or meat and vegetable stuffing (e.g. potatoes with bacon). The pancakes can be stuffed with any filling, as long as it is quite compact so that it does not flow out of the pancakes.
Polish krokiety stuffing. What kind of cabbage? Should I add onion? Too dry? Too runny? Too bland?
The stuffing for croquettes with cabbage and mushrooms is prepared by first frying the onion, then chopped sauerkraut or a mix of sauerkraut and white cabbage, then add the mushrooms (e.g. champignons, dried, fresh or frozen mushrooms). Fry the stuffing until the cabbage turns brown. Season with salt, pepper, caraway seed, allspice and bay leaves. We do not add any broth or water. Do not rinse the cabbage, the stuffing should be sour.
How to wrap croquettes? How much filling for croquettes?
Wrap the croquettes like a burrito (see the video below on how to do it).
There is 1 large spoonful of stuffing per croquette. For the stuffing for 10 croquettes, you need about 500 g of sauerkraut, about 160 g of mushrooms and 1 small onion.
How to make breading for croquettes?
We make the breading for the croquettes in the same way as for pork chops. First, roll the wrapped croquette in flour. Then dip it in the egg and finally sprinkle it thoroughly with breadcrumbs so that the entire croquette is covered with breadcrumbs.
How to fry croquettes in a pan?
Place the wrapped and breaded croquettes carefully in a very hot pan with a few tablespoons of rapeseed oil. Fry the croquettes over medium heat and when they turn golden brown, turn them over. Fry them for about 2 minutes on each side and put them on paper to remove excess fat or put them directly into an ovenproof dish (if you want to serve them later and heat them in the oven before serving).
Can croquettes be baked in the oven?
I usually fry the croquettes in a pan and then reheat them in the oven or eat them immediately after frying.
How many days in advance can you make the croquettes?
Fried croquettes can be stored for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Most often, I prepare a large batch (e.g. for Christmas) and then we eat them within 2-3 days by reheating them in the oven, in a pan or in the microwave.
Croquettes are perfect for people on a vegetarian, flexitarian and pescatarian diet.
The proportions given below make about 30 croquettes.
This is the recipe I use to make croquettes for Christmas Eve, that’s why there are so many of them. You can easily prepare croquettes from half or â…“ portions 🙂.
Read the step-by-step recipe on how to prepare Polish krokiety and watch the video below the recipe.
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Polish Krokiety
Polish Krokiety Recipe
Ingredients
Stuffing
- 2 onions
- 1,5 kg sauerkraut
- 500 g champignons
- 50 g dried mushrooms
- 4 bay leaves
- 6 grains allspice
- ½ tsp caraway seed (ground or whole)
- pepper
- salt
- oil (for frying)
Pancakes
- 3 cup flour ( about 450 g)
- 6 eggs
- 900 ml water
- 1,5 cup milk
- salt
Breading
- 5 tbsp flour
- 6 eggs
- 250 g breadcrumbs
Additionally
- oil (for frying)
Instructions
Stuffing
- Peel the onions and cut them into small cubes, do the same with the mushrooms. Cut the cabbage into smaller pieces. If you don't like sauerkraut to be too sour, you can rinse half of it under running water for a few seconds or mix sauerkraut with chopped white cabbage in proportions, e.g. half and half (1:1). Pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms and leave for a few minutes. Then strain the mushrooms and chop them into small pieces.2 onions, 1,5 kg sauerkraut, 500 g champignons, 50 g dried mushrooms
- Pour some oil into a large, deep frying pan. Fry the onion, when the onion turns translucent, add the sauerkraut, fry for a while and add champignons, mushrooms and spices. Fry the stuffing for 15-20 minutes over medium heat. When the cabbage softens and changes color from white to brown, the stuffing is ready.4 bay leaves, 6 grains allspice, ½ tsp caraway seed, pepper, salt, oil
Pancakes
- While the filling is frying, you can start making pancakes. Mix all ingredients for pancakes in a bowl. The batter will be thin, but it must be thin if we want to obtain thin pancakes. Apply a thin layer of oil to the heated pan (preferably with a brush), pour a portion of the batter into the pan and fry the pancakes over medium heat. Just a few dozen seconds on one side and a few seconds on the other are enough.3 cup flour, 6 eggs, 900 ml water, 1,5 cup milk, salt
Breading
- Wrap the croquettes by putting the cabbage filling on the pancake and rolling it up like a burrito (see the video below). Then bread the rolled croquettes like pork chops. First, sprinkle with flour, then dip in beaten egg and then roll in breadcrumbs.5 tbsp flour, 6 eggs, 250 g breadcrumbs
- Fry the wrapped and breaded croquettes on all sides in a pan with a little oil. Fried, golden croquettes are ready to be eaten. Enjoy!oil
Video
Nutrition
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
