Always a crowd pleaser, these Thai fish cakes can be made at home

I grew up in a family where people didn’t talk about their feelings. The only times we could connect and have a proper conversation were when talking about menus for family meals.

These Thai fish cakes are delicious and moreish.

My mother was born and raised in Yaowarat, in Bangkok’s Chinatown. My grandfather was a Chinese accountant who left behind his wife and six children when he died from tuberculosis.

Having no income, my grandmother would cook small dishes and Chinese snacks that my mother and her sisters would sell after school outside the cinemas.

My mother later met my father, who was from an upper-class Chinese family that had been living in Bangkok for several generations.

My paternal great-grandfather had married a Thai woman who worked in the kitchens of the royal palace in Bangkok. She was the one who prepared family meals and it was alongside her that my mother learnt to cook Thai food.

I grew up in a family where people didn’t talk about their feelings and children weren’t a part of adult discussions. The only times we could connect and have a proper conversation were when talking about menus for family meals. It was, and still is, our main topic of discussion. I have long since realised that love in our family is expressed through the dishes we cook. In my recipes, I share all the love I have received in my life.

Try too my chicken jungle curry and my stir-fried prawn noodles with basil and chilli.

A tasty dish for sharing. Photos: Akida Iko.

Thai Home Cooking (Murdoch Books, $49.99).

Fish cakes with beans & pickle sauce (tod man pla)

For the fiish cakes

• 400g cod fillet (or other firm white fish)
• 20g-25g red curry paste
• 1 egg
• 1 level teaspoon sugar
• 2 scant tablespoons fish sauce
• 10-12 lime leaves
• 3 snake beans or 80g green beans
• 60ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil

For the pickle sauce

• 50g sugar
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• ½ cucumber
• 2 red Asian shallots
• 1–2 red chillies (to taste)

Method

1. Prepare the fish cakes. Remove the bones from the cod and cut the fillet into pieces. Process the fish with the curry paste, egg, sugar and fish sauce until a sticky dough forms. Take breaks as needed so as not to overheat the food processor.
2. Remove the central rib from the lime leaves. Layer them in a pile, roll up and chop very finely. Thinly slice the beans. Mix everything with the fish paste and form 14 to 16 small patties using slightly damp hands.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Cook the fish cakes for about 3 minutes on each side until they are nicely golden.
4. Prepare the pickle sauce. Combine the sugar, vinegar, salt and fish sauce in a bowl. Cut the cucumber into small cubes and thinly slice the shallots and chillies. Add the cucumber, shallots and chilli to the sauce. Serve with the fish cakes. Note Fish cakes can also be served with sweet chilli sauce.

Serves 4, makes 14-16 pieces.