Dutch croquettes

Dutch croquettes, or kroketten as we call them are a very popular snacks in The Netherlands. They are sold in Dutch fast food restaurants, so called ‘snackbars’. In fact Dutch Croquettes are so popular that even McDonald’s sells its own version called McKroket. The Kroket is a deep fried, breaded roll of meat ragout. They are typically eaten with mustard.  We definitely recommend trying a Kroket, but beware not to burn your mouth as they are deep fried!

Kroketten come with different ingredients but usually they are made with beef ragout, the luxury versions with veal. But you can also find other versions with for instance goulash, saté, shrimps, cheese, vegetables or chicken. People that have never eaten a Dutch Croquette have to get used to the soft texture inside. Usually it takes a few times before you really learn to appreciate the Dutch kroket, just like other Dutch foods. But we promise it’s worth it!

The quickest way to get hold of a kroket is from our ‘vending walls’ in snackbars such as Febo.

Bitterballen

In pubs and bars Dutch Croquettes are sold in the form of ‘Bitterballen’. They are served as little, easily edible balls. As they come in portions of six or more they are easily shared. We could also state it’s our lazy form of tapas. Bitterballen are eaten as an appetizer to go with drinks typically served before or after dinner.

Best croquettes in Amsterdam

If you would as any random Dutch person what the best Dutch Croquettes are, there are basically two answers you’d here: Kwekkeboom or Van Dobben. Both of them started as small local shops but their croquettes are now mass produced and distributed through the Netherlands. Fun thing is that you can visit the local stores that both brands originate from!

Kwekkeboom

The Kwekkeboom croquettes originate from the Kwekkeboom confectioner. The first store was opened in 1900 and new stores have been opened throughout Amsterdam. Besides their croquettes Kwekkeboom is famous for the delicious pastries and wedding cakes. The famous Kwekkeboom croquettes that are distributed across the country are, ironically enough, produced by the same company as their biggest opponent Van Dobben. Good thing is that in Amsterdam there are still multiple Kwekkeboom confectioners. You can find them here:

Reguliersbreestraat 36, Amsterdam
Linnaeusstraat 80, Amsterdam
Ferdinand Bolstraat 119, Amsterdam
Buikslotermeerplein 152, Amsterdam
http://www.kwekkeboom.amsterdam/

Van Dobben

Van Dobben started as a sandwich shop when they started making their own croquettes. The shop and the snack they made became popular in Amsterdam at fast pace. Although the Van Dobben sandwich has been around since 1945, it wasn’t before 1992 that the coquettes were mass produced for the rest of Holland by another company. The sandwich shop where it all started is still around today and they still make their own croquettes with the original recipe. Want to go for a Van Dobben croquette? You’ll find the shop here:

Korte Reguliersdwarsstraat 5-7-9, Amsterdam
http://www.eetsalonvandobben.nl/

Dutch Croquette recipe

If you’re not visiting The Netherlands any time soon, but still would like to eat Dutch Croquettes, you can always try and make them yourself. With following recipe that we translated from the Dutch foodblog Uit Pauline’s Keuken. She visited the company behind the famous ‘Van Dobben’ kroket and posted the recipe she got. So now you van make very own dutch croquettes!

Ingredients

• 500 grams of beef or veal brisket
• half a liter bouillon
• 60  grams of dairy butter
• 60 grams of flour
• 150 grams of breadcrumps
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 2 eggs
• 1 spoon of milk
• pinch of nutmeg
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• hand full of parsley

Start of with making a bouillon with one liter of water, a beef cube, onion, carrot, parsley, laurel and the beef brisket. Have it simmer for three hours. After three hours there should be half a liter of bouillon left as the water evaporates.Leave the bouillon to cool down. Cut the brisket into tiny slices of 1 cm.

Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour. Cook it for three minutes until the it turns white and becomes a sandy substance. Add the cooled down bouillon while stirring in order to make a smooth ragout. Now add the brisket and parsley and cook it for another 4 minutes. Add a spoon of Worcestershire sauce and some salt and pepper. Now that the ragout is ready, scoop it on to a plate and have it cool down for at least 4 hours.

Fill up a plate with breadcrumbs. On another plate mix up the eggs and milk. Make a little ball of the ragout and roll it in the breadcrumbs. Now make a roll of the ball. Roll it in the egg/milk mixture and trough the breadcrumbs again. Make sure that the kroket is decently covered in breadcrumbs on all sites. Put the croquettes in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours in order to stiffen up.

Heat up a frying pan to 180° degrees Celsius and deep fry your home made Dutch Croquettes for 5 minutes.

 

EETSMAKELIJK!