Millet’s sticky clumpiness is just what is needed to help the croquettes hold together; it forms a nice, crunchy crust when baked. And millet’s neutral flavor is no issue at all, since there is plenty of that in all the vegetables in the croquettes and in the bright and tasty dipping sauce that is served alongside them.
Chef's notes
Note: Be sure to grate the lemon zest for the croquettes before you juice the lemon for the dipping sauce. Look for sweet potatoes with white flesh; they are less sweet than the orange varieties, which makes them more suitable for this dish.
Steps
1
Making the Dill Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
1/2 cup dried navy beans, soaked
1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for up to 2 hours to soften
1/2 cup fresh dill fronds
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
sea salt, to taste
To make the dill dipping sauce, place the soaked navy beans in a small saucepan with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, partially cover the pan, and simmer until very tender, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat but do not drain. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a blender, combine the cooked beans with their liquid and the cashews with 1/2 cup additional water along with the dill, lemon juice, garlic, pepper and salt to taste. Blend until well combined, uniformly bright green, and creamy; this may take a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer the sauce to a covered container and chill until ready to serve.
This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
2
Making the Croquettes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups millet
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 lbs white sweet potatoes (about 2 large), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup carrots, grated
1 cup green beans, small diced
1/2 cup green onions, white and light green parts, minced
2 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
sea salt, to taste
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
To make the croquettes: in a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the millet and turmeric. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes (the liquid will probably not be completely absorbed yet). Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff the millet with a fork. Set aside to cool.
Place a steamer basket insert in a saucepan and fill the pan with a couple of inches of water (the water should not come above the level of the bottom of the steamer). Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil. Place the sweet potatoes in the steamer basket. Cover the pan and steam until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. It is important not to overcook the potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and mash them with a potato masher. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
When the mashed sweet potatoes and millet have cooled, add the millet to the bowl with the potatoes. Add the carrots, green beans, green onions, lemon zest, pepper, and salt to taste. Mix well but lightly. It is important to keep the mixture from getting dense and heavy.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and using an ice cream scoop, place roughly 1/2-cup scoops of the millet mixture on the baking sheets, making sure they do not touch each other. You should have about 2 dozen croquettes.
Bake until the croquettes are lightly browned and crusty on the sides and bottom, about 30 minutes. Gently turn the croquettes over and continue to bake until nicely browned and crusty all around, about 30 minutes more; do not undercook or the croquettes will be crumbly. Serve hot, with the dipping sauce alongside.
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Hello Erica: thanks for writing, Sometimes a simple utensil like an ice cream scoop can make the dish, bec it "compresses" the mixture together. I am so sorry that this recipe "fell apart" in the oven. I am going to investigate this a bit more and will get back to you. Thanks, Char
Hi Jaclyn: I am a big fan of Darshana's recipes, and although I have yet to make the millet croquettes, they do sound delicious. I am with you about the white sweet potatoes. Thanks for writing. -Char
Hi Laleh: Yes, you can, however, before, place them on a cookie sheet, and flash freeze them, then. transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Label and date. I would let them thaw before baking. You can also bake them first, then, freeze them the same way. Hope this helps. Thanks for writing. -Char
I would love to revisit this recipe despite the crumbling in oven issue. I am wondering if it was the type of potato used. I have plentiful access to kumaras and there is a white flesh sweeter one that I used in the recipe. I am wondering if the moisture content (they tend to be a tiny bit more fibrous and drier than potatoes) was off. I have since looked up and successfully made french croquettes, and the mix was a LOT more moist than mine. Plant based cooking is important to me, though, so I am trying to figure out how to make this work with kumaras and a lack of cheese. Any binding agent suggestions that won't burn in the oven?
Hi Erica, I am happy you are wanting to stick with this recipe. The white flesh kumaras you used should be perfectly fine for this recipe. I would try adjusting the oven temperature or cooking time so they don't dry out and become crumbly. Each oven acts a bit differently so, checking early and often is usually the best way to get the results you are looking for. Hope that help! Cheers, Sandy
I just made these, and while they tasted delicious, they also crumbled! Maybe about 1/3 of them stayed in one piece, while the rest fell to pieces, which was disappointing considering the amount of prep involved. So, I wonder why so many recipes (in a variety of sources, not just here) vastly underestimate the active time. I'm not slow in the kitchen and this took me about 1.5 hours before I even got them in the oven. The sauce was quick and tasty though, although I cheated and used canned beans. Luckily I just made them for me and my husband, so we'll enjoy the millet crumbs again tomorrow for lunch :)
Hi Holly, I am sorry to hear that some of this recipe fell short for you! You are right, trying to say how long it will take different people, doing the same tasks, with different equipment and kitchen settings, is always a challenge, and is kinda like that "one-size fits all" clothing concept (that rarely can fit all well). I think your crumbling issue is likely the result of too much moisture. I always like to recommend, baking off 1 croquette before forming the rest and baking. This way you can make adjustments to the texture, along with the taste, before proceeding with the rest. I hope this helps a little. I am happy to hear that you enjoyed your "crumbles". Cheers, Sandy
My dill seedlings are still too small to harvest and I refuse to buy plastic packaged herbs. Is there anything I can use to replace the dill? I got all the other ingredients (including green beans in a glass jar :) ).
Hi Julieta, I would try tarragon or cilantro as an alternative. Perhaps you might find fresh dill at your local farmer's market? Just a thought before changing the flavor profile of the dipping sauce with an alternative.
- Chris
I made these. After I ate a few, I froze the rest of the millet cakes and dip. I ate them as snacks for weeks. Now that they are gone, I'm craving them. They are healthy comfort food.
My only comment to improve the recipe is to start with a small amount of the bean liquid and water and increase until you get the right texture. Otherwise, it may come out too watery.
I made these today, and they were really delish and worth the effort. I wanted them to be more like appetizers so I used a smaller melon $@!#%. I did press them a bit to hold shape. I made many substitutions and it all held up without crumbling. For the potato I used leftover mashed Yukon potatoes and I used shredded zucchini and chopped spinach with the carrot and in lieu of the green beans.
In my opinion this recipe could be cut in half as it's huge. I had to give the sauce a boost too, as it was a little bland. I added a bit more acid - acv and some grain mustard. This recipe might do better with measurements for finished ingredients, as people were having trouble with getting it to stick together - for example 6 c cooked millet, 2 cups moist mashed potatoes- for the sauce 1.5c navy bean....etc.
I looked forward to freezing the leftovers- thanks Julia L for that tip.
Erica J •I didn't have an ice cream scoop, so I formed balls with my hands and they are falling apart in the oven. :(
Char N • Rouxbe Staff •Hello Erica: thanks for writing, Sometimes a simple utensil like an ice cream scoop can make the dish, bec it "compresses" the mixture together. I am so sorry that this recipe "fell apart" in the oven. I am going to investigate this a bit more and will get back to you. Thanks, Char
Sandy S •Hi Erica, I am happy you are wanting to stick with this recipe. The white flesh kumaras you used should be perfectly fine for this recipe. I would try adjusting the oven temperature or cooking time so they don't dry out and become crumbly. Each oven acts a bit differently so, checking early and often is usually the best way to get the results you are looking for. Hope that help! Cheers, Sandy
Holly P •I just made these, and while they tasted delicious, they also crumbled! Maybe about 1/3 of them stayed in one piece, while the rest fell to pieces, which was disappointing considering the amount of prep involved. So, I wonder why so many recipes (in a variety of sources, not just here) vastly underestimate the active time. I'm not slow in the kitchen and this took me about 1.5 hours before I even got them in the oven. The sauce was quick and tasty though, although I cheated and used canned beans. Luckily I just made them for me and my husband, so we'll enjoy the millet crumbs again tomorrow for lunch :)
Julieta A •My dill seedlings are still too small to harvest and I refuse to buy plastic packaged herbs. Is there anything I can use to replace the dill? I got all the other ingredients (including green beans in a glass jar :) ).
Chris R • Rouxbe Staff •Hi Julieta, I would try tarragon or cilantro as an alternative. Perhaps you might find fresh dill at your local farmer's market? Just a thought before changing the flavor profile of the dipping sauce with an alternative. - Chris
Julia L •I made these. After I ate a few, I froze the rest of the millet cakes and dip. I ate them as snacks for weeks. Now that they are gone, I'm craving them. They are healthy comfort food. My only comment to improve the recipe is to start with a small amount of the bean liquid and water and increase until you get the right texture. Otherwise, it may come out too watery.
Sharon B •I made these today, and they were really delish and worth the effort. I wanted them to be more like appetizers so I used a smaller melon $@!#%. I did press them a bit to hold shape. I made many substitutions and it all held up without crumbling. For the potato I used leftover mashed Yukon potatoes and I used shredded zucchini and chopped spinach with the carrot and in lieu of the green beans. In my opinion this recipe could be cut in half as it's huge. I had to give the sauce a boost too, as it was a little bland. I added a bit more acid - acv and some grain mustard. This recipe might do better with measurements for finished ingredients, as people were having trouble with getting it to stick together - for example 6 c cooked millet, 2 cups moist mashed potatoes- for the sauce 1.5c navy bean....etc. I looked forward to freezing the leftovers- thanks Julia L for that tip.