Fish Cakes with Cucumber Relish
These wonderful small fish cakes are a very familiar and popular appetizer in Thailand and increasingly throughout South-East Asia. They are usually served with Thai beer.
Ingredients
- 5 kaffir lime leaves
- 300g / 11oz cod, cut into chunks
- 30mI / 2 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 egg
- 30mI / 2 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
- 5ml / 1 tsp sugar
- 30ml / 2 tbsp cornflour
- 15ml / 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- 50g / 2oz green beans, finely sliced
- vegetable oil, for frying
- fresh Chinese mustard cress or coriander leaves, to garnish
For the cucumber relish:
- 60mI / 4 tbsp coconut or rice vinegar
- 50g / 2oz / ¼ cup sugar
- 1 head pickled garlic
- 15ml / 1 tbsp fresh root ginger
- 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 4 shallots, finely sliced
Preparation
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- Make the cucumber relish. Bring the vinegar and sugar to the boil in a small pan with 60ml / 4 tbsp water, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool.
- Separate the pickled garlic into cloves. Chop these finely along with the ginger and place in a bowl. Add the cucumber and shallots, pour over the vinegar mixture and mix lightly.
- Reserve two kaffir lime leaves for garnish and thinly slice the remainder. Put the chunks of fish, curry paste and egg in a food processor and process to a smooth paste. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the nam pla (fish sauce), sugar, cornflour, sliced kaffir lime leaves, coriander and green beans. Mix well, then shape the mixture into about twelve 5mm / ¼in thick cakes, measuring about 5cm / 2in in diameter.
- Heat the oil in a wok or deep-frying pan. Fry the fish cakes, a few at a time, for about 4-5 minutes until cooked and evenly brown.
- Lift out the fish cakes and drain them on kitchen paper. Keep each batch hot while frying successive batches. Garnish with the reserved kaffir leaves and serve with the cucumber relish.
Makes about 12.