Spicy Fried Fish Cakes (Tod Man Plaa) with Cucumber Relish
These are very hot little firecrackers from the orient. They can be used to add spice to almost any oriental dish. They dry very easily and can be stored and used this way for a long time.
Ingredients:
Cucumber relish:
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cucumber, coarsely chopped
3 shallots, finely sliced
1-2 fresh Thai chile peppers, sliced
1 Tbsp. roasted peanuts crushed in a mortar and pestle
Fish cakes:
1 pound fresh white fish, prefer cod or halibut
1 egg
3/4 cup finely sliced Chinese longbean, or stringbeans
6 fresh kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 Tbsp. red curry paste
3 cups vegetable oil for frying
Instructions:
For the cucumber relish:
Cook the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Let the mixture cool. In a small serving bowl add the cucumbers, shallots and Thai chile. Pour the vinegar mixture over that and top with the roasted peanuts.
For the fish cakes:
Cut the fish into small pieces, then grind it up in a food processor or pound it in a mortar and pestle until it becomes a paste. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients (except the oil).
For spicier taste, add a bit more red curry paste. Using your hands, knead the mixture until it is sticky enough to form into discs about 2″ wide and 1/2″ thick. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat, then add the fishcakes and fry them until golden brown on both sides. Remove the fish cakes with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Serve warm with steamed jasmine rice, and a dish of cucumber relish which is to be spooned over the fish cakes at the table.
Recipe from ImportFood.com online.