Bitterballen (Dutch)

Bitterbal or kroket is a a deep fried snack, popular in the Netherlands. It is crunchy on the outside, but very soft and smooth on the inside. The difference between a kroket and a bitterbal is the size. Kroket is a small roll and a bitterbal is a small ball. I have both posted on my website because a lot of people ask me for the recipe for bitterballen or kroketten. 😉
Ingredients
1 stick margarine
1 cup of minced onion
1 cup of flour
4 cups of shredded beef
1 beef bouillon cube
3 cups of beef broth (where you cooked the beef in)
1 cup of chopped parsley
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2eggs
bread crumbs
1 cup of flour (for rolling)
canola oil
Instructions
Boil the beef in water till it falls apart or chop it, it took me about a good 4 hour on simmer. Save the beef broth you are going to need it for the roux.
You don’t have to use beef you can use pork or ham, whichever you prefer. Make a roux and this is how you do it. Melt the margarine in the skillet, add the minced onion, cook till translucent, then add the flour. Keep stirring. Then add the beef broth, 1 cup at the time. still keep stirring till you have a nice sauce.
Add the seasonings, the shredded or chopped beef and the parsley. Pour onto a cookie sheet and let it cool in your refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Then make small balls (golf ball size) or small rolls, those are called kroketten.Wet your hand with the canola oil roll the balls.
Then roll in the flour then in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs.
While I clean up my kitchen from making these bitterballen I put them in the freezer to flash freeze. When your kitchen is all cleaned up again, go and deep fry these bitterballen. Eat as an appetizer or eat them on a slice of bread.
- 1 stick margarine
- 1 cup of minced onion
- 1 cup of flour
- 4 cups of shredded beef
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 3 cups of beef broth (where you cooked the beef in)
- 1 cup of chopped parsley
- 1 tsp pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 2eggs
- bread crumbs
- 1 cup of flour (for rolling)
- canola oil
- Boil the beef in water till it falls apart or chop it, it took me about a good 4 hour on simmer. Save the beef broth you are going to need it for the roux. You don't have to use beef you can use pork or ham, whichever you prefer. Make a roux and this is how you do it. Melt the margarine in the skillet, add the minced onion, cook till translucent, then add the flour. Keep stirring. Then add the beef broth, 1 cup at the time. still keep stirring till you have a nice sauce. Add the seasonings, the shredded or chopped beef and the parsley. Pour onto a cookie sheet and let it cool in your refrigerator for about 2 hours. Then make small balls (golf ball size) or small rolls, those are called kroketten. Wet your hand with the canola oil roll the balls and roll in the four then in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs. While I clean up my kitchen from making these bitterballen I put them in the freezer to flash freeze. When your kitchen is all cleaned up again go and deep fry these bitterballen. Eat as an appetizer or eat them on a slice of bread.
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My Mum used to make these but I haven’t got her recipe. I have made them since but I’m always guessing and trying to get them how she made them. This recipe looks pretty close I think so I’ll give it a go. How much beef in grams should I buy to make 4 cups of shredded beef? Thanks.
I hope they turn out the wat you remember them. I would say approximately 800 grams.
Here I am again with a COUPLE questions:
* How much beef bouillon? (how many ml)
* How much is a butter STICK? (we don’t have sticks here in Canada I believe……)
* And can you use dried parsley in stead of fresh? And how much would the dry amount be?
Hope to hear from you soon as I would love to make them for Christmas……..
Tjitske take a look on the top of this page it has a link to measurement conversion.
For the beef bouillon use 500 ml (½ l)If it’s too thick add a little more. You are making a sauce so it should not be too thick. Use your own judgement.
A butter stick is 113.4 grams
I would not use dried parsley, but that’s totally up to you. The rule of thumb for measurement for herbs is you substitute 1 tsp dried herbs for 1 tbsp fresh herbs.
can you freeze them and THEN deepfry them?? Or do they explode then?…..
Lol you are funny. Yes you can freeze them but before you deep fry them make sure they are semi defrosted.