This is a great street food dish and perfect to greet your guests with a drink at the beginning of a meal.
Thai Food Made Easy
Images and recipes from
Thai Food Made Easy
by Tom Kime
Murdoch Books,
RRP $39.99
Fresh
500 grm white fish fillets (such as cod or ling)
2 garlic cloves
2 coriander roots, washed and chopped
4 shallots, finely sliced
4 long red chillies, halved, seeded and finely chopped
4 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
5 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
60 g green beans, finely sliced
1 cucumber, finely sliced
juice of 1 lime
4 coriander sprigs, leaves picked and coarsely chopped
Pantry/larder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fish sauce
75 ml rice vinegar
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons toasted crushed peanuts
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1. Mince the fish in a food processor or blender for a few seconds: a little texture is good, so it doesn’t have to be blended until completely fine.
2. Pound the garlic, coriander roots, 1 of the shallots, 3 of the red chillies, ginger and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt using a mortar and pestle until you have a smooth paste. Add to a bowl with the minced fish, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves and sliced green beans. Thoroughly mix everything together, kneading the mixture with your fingers.
3. Knead the mixture following the instructions on page 47.
4. Lightly oil your hands and roll the mixture into 24 small balls and place them on an oiled tray. Transfer to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. While the fishcakes are chilling, make the cucumber pickle. Warm the vinegar, sugar and salt together in a non-reactive saucepan to melt the sugar. Simmer for 1 minute, then leave to cool. When the vinegar is cool, add the cucumber, remaining shallots and chillies and stir gently. Add the lime juice, chopped coriander and toasted peanuts. Set aside until needed.
6. When ready to fry the cakes, pat them into fat cakes about 5 cm wide and 1 cm thick. Fry the fishcakes following the instructions on page 47. Drain the fishcakes on paper towel and serve with the cucumber pickle.
Serves 6 (makes 24) | Preparation 10 minutes | Chilling 30 minutes | Cooking 10 minutes