Fish Asian

Tort man pla (fish cakes with cucumber pickle)

Name: Tort man pla recipe (fish cakes with cucumber pickle)
Yield: 6
Cuisine: /asian
Ingredients: 40.00 ml salt; 40.00 ml caster sugar; 300g white fish, filleted with pin bones and skin removed (cod, hake and monkfish would all work well for this recipe); 1 tsp palm sugar; 40.00 ml fish sauce; 1 large egg, beaten; 60.00 ml finely sliced fine green beans; 20.00 ml finely sliced fingerroot or ginger (optional); 8 makrut lime leaves, finely shredded; 80.00 ml large Thai basil leaves; Vegetable oil, for deep-frying; Dried vermicelli noodles, cooked according to packet instructions and cooled to room temperature; Thai basil or coriander, to serve; 80.00 ml white wine vinegar; 40.00 ml water; 60.00 ml caster sugar; 10.00 ml salt; 1/4 cucumber, quartered lengthways and cut into 5mm slices; 1/2 small red onion, sliced with the grain of the onion; 1 long red chilli, sliced into rounds; 20.00 ml thinly shredded ginger; 20.00 ml coriander leaves; 6 dried long red chillies, seeds removed, soaked in cold water until soft; 4 dried bird’s-eye chillies, soaked in cold water until soft; 1 tsp salt; 40.00 ml thinly sliced lemongrass, root and outer husks removed; 20.00 ml chopped galangal; 20.00 ml chopped banana shallot; 40.00 ml chopped garlic; 20.00 ml chopped ginger

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P104 Fish Cakes with Cucumber Pickle dps

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by John Chantarasak

AUTHOR

Jul 05, 2022

“Thai fish cakes are famous around the world – and rightfully so, as their intriguingly bouncy texture and delicious flavour, with red curry paste running through the fish mixture, make them a delight to eat at any time of the day."

2 tbs salt
2 tbs caster sugar
300g white fish, filleted with pin bones and skin removed (cod, hake and monkfish would all work well for this recipe)
1 tsp palm sugar
2 tbs fish sauce
1 large egg, beaten
3 tbs finely sliced fine green beans
1 tbs finely sliced fingerroot or ginger (optional)
8 makrut lime leaves, finely shredded
4 tbs large Thai basil leaves
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Dried vermicelli noodles, cooked according to packet instructions and cooled to room temperature
Thai basil or coriander, to serve

Cucumber pickle (ajut taeng kwaa)

4 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tbs water
3 tbs caster sugar
1/2 tbs salt
1/4 cucumber, quartered lengthways and cut into 5mm slices
1/2 small red onion, sliced with the grain of the onion
1 long red chilli, sliced into rounds
1 tbs thinly shredded ginger
1 tbs coriander leaves

Red curry paste (khreuang gaeng daeng)

6 dried long red chillies, seeds removed, soaked in cold water until soft
4 dried bird’s-eye chillies, soaked in cold water until soft
1 tsp salt
2 tbs thinly sliced lemongrass, root and outer husks removed
1 tbs chopped galangal
1 tbs chopped banana shallot
2 tbs chopped garlic
1 tbs chopped finger root (or ginger)
1 tsp makrut lime zest
1 tsp shrimp paste

Method

1.

For the pickle, gently warm the vinegar, water, caster sugar and salt together in a small saucepan until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat and leave until completely cold. In a small bowl, combine the cucumber, onion, chilli, ginger and coriander, then pour over the cold pickle liquid. Do this no more than 3 minutes before you plan to serve, as the vegetables will lose their crunch and texture as they sit in the pickle liquor.
2.

For the curry paste, pound all the ingredients together in a stone pestle and mortar until very smooth. Set aside.
3.

In a small bowl, mix together the salt and sugar. This is your cure mix. Sprinkle it over the fish and leave for 1 hour in the refrigerator to draw the moisture from the fish. Wipe the cure mix from the fish and wash under cold running water, then pat dry with paper towels.
4.

Traditionally, Thai fish cakes are made using a pestle and mortar, but for the modern cook, a food processor saves time. Cut the fish into bite-size pieces and add to the food processor, along with 4 tbs of red curry paste, the palm sugar and fish sauce. Blend together well.
5.

Transfer to a large bowl and gradually incorporate the beaten egg so the fish mixture turns glossy and firm, yet sticky to the touch. Stir through the green beans, finger root and makrut lime leaves. Check the seasoning by frying a little of the mixture to taste: it should be aromatic and salty.
6.

Using wet hands, shape the mixture into 4cm rustic discs, then place a Thai basil leaf around each fish cake so they are partially covered.
7.

Pour the oil for deep-frying into a large wok to a depth of 10cm and heat until the oil reaches 180°C on a cooking thermometer. Alternatively, drop a small cube of bread into the hot oil; if it turns golden brown in about 15 seconds, the oil is ready. Deep-fry fish cakes, in batches, for 2 minutes until they float to the surface and are golden and slightly puffed. Remove and drain on a plate lined with paper towels, then repeat with the remaining fish cakes.
8.

Serve immediately with the rice vermicelli noodles, coiled and scattered with Thai basil or coriander sprigs.

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Recipe Notes

"I like to serve them as a snack or precursor to a meal with traditional sweet pickled cucumber, shallots and chillies. Fish cakes also make a wonderful light lunch served with a few coils of kanom jim rice vermicelli noodles and sprigs of Thai basil. If you don’t have time to make the red curry paste, use a quality shop-bought paste instead.”

Serve with sweet chilli sauce (nahm jim gai waan) and roasted chilli jam (nahm prik pao).