Light bites
Fish cakes with cucumber relish
T H E S E WO N D E R F U L S M A L L F I S H C A K E S A R E A V E R Y FA M I L I A R A N D P O P U L A R A P P E T I S E R I N T H A I L A N D A N D I N C R E A S I N G LY T H R O U G H O U T S O U T H - E A S T A S I A . T H E Y A R E U S U A L LY S E R V E D W I T H T H A I B E E R .
8 kaffir lime leaves
01
300g white fish fillets such as whiting or John Dory, cut into chunks
M ake the cucumber relish. Mix the coconut or rice vinegar, sugar and water in a small pan. Heat gently, stirring constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste 1 egg
02
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce 1 tsp sugar 2 tbsp cornflour
03
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander 50g green beans, thinly sliced vegetable oil, for deep-frying
S eparate the pickled garlic into cloves. Chop the cloves finely, along with the ginger, and place in a bowl. Add the cucumber batons and shallots, pour over the vinegar mixture and mix lightly. Cover and set aside. R eserve five kaffir lime leaves for the 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 fish sauce, sugar, cornflour, sliced kaffir lime leaves, coriander and green beans. Mix well, then shape the mixture into about twelve 5mm thick cakes, each measuring about 5cm in diameter.
For the cucumber relish 4 tbsp coconut or rice vinegar
04
50g sugar 4 tbsp water 1 head pickled garlic 1cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
05
H eat the oil in a wok to 190°C or until a cube of bread, added to the oil, browns in about 40 seconds. Fry the fish cakes, a few at a time, for about 4–5 minutes, until cooked and evenly brown. L ift out the fish cakes and drain them on paper towel. Keep each batch hot while frying successive batches. Garnish with the reserved kaffir lime leaves and serve with the cucumber relish.
1 cucumber, cut into thin batons
MAKES 12
4 shallots (eschalots), thinly sliced
NUTRITIONALS Energy 83Kcal/346kJ; Protein 5.5g; Carbohydrate 5.8g, of which sugars 5.6g; Fat 4.4g, of which saturates 0.6g; Cholesterol 27mg; Calcium 15mg; Fibre 0.3g; Sodium 111mg.
58 everyday gourmet
everyday gourmet 59