Thai Fish Cakes : ทอดมันปลา

This recipe is super easy and doesn't take long to make (If you have a food processor) but the outcome is delicious. I often make a lot of fish paste and put it in a fridge then pull it out and fry it anytime I want (It will last for a couple of days in the fridge). These fish cakes tasted exactly the same as what I used to have in Thailand so if you make sure you have all the ingredients right such as Thai red curry paste, Thai fish sauce, you can't go wrong.

Note: 
The best way to get a nice spongy texture for fish cakes is to use frozen fish rather than blending the fish with ice in a food processor. 

Make sure you don't over process the fish paste because it will become rubbery

Make 20-25 pieces

Ingredients:

500g   Frozen fish fillets of your choice (I used Basa fillets).

60g    Thai red curry paste (Mae Ploy Brand preferable).

1 ½     table spoons of fish sauce (Tiparos or Squid brand).

2      teaspoons of raw or brown sugar.

1      egg.

60g    Snake beans thinly sliced at an angle.    

5g     Very finely shredded Kaffir lime leaves.

Directions:

Prepare all the vegetables. Slice the snake beans at an angle. Stack Kaffir lime leaves together and roll them tightly then slice them very very finely.

Pull out the fish from the freezer and put it in warm to hot water for 2-3 minutes to partly defrost. Cut it into big chunks (about 5-7cm wide) then put in the food processor for 1-2 minutes. Add the Thai red curry paste and the egg and continue processing the fish for a further 30 seconds. Add the fish sauce and sugar then process the fish paste for another 30 seconds.

Scoop the fish paste into a big bowl using a spatula. Stir in the snake beans and Kaffir lime leaves. Mix it well. If you're not going to fry all the fish paste then remove it into a smaller bowl and cover it with cling wrap.

To fry:

Choose a big, shallow pan as you're going to fry about 4-5 pieces at a time. Fill a pan with 1½ cups of vegetable oil on low to medium heat.

Fill half of a bowl with luke-warm water. Wet your hands to prevent the fish paste from sticking to your hands. Scoop about 2 table spoons of the fish paste into your palm then start shaping it into a pattie.

Put 4-5 patties into a pan making sure they are not too close together. Fry for 1 minute per side or until they look orange (make sure they don't burn or become too brown). Taste and make sure there isn’t any uncooked fish paste in the middle. Repeat this process until all the fish paste has been used up or else cover what’s left and store it in the fridge.

Enjoy!!!!

Chicken Pumpkin Curry

Make 4 servings

Ingredients:

900g       Pumpkin, peeled, chopped into bite sized pieces

1000ml   Coconut milk ( I used Aroi dee brand )

400g       Chicken breast fillet, cut into 2 by 4 cm and 1 cm thick pieces

50g         Thai red curry paste ( I used Mae Ploy brand )

40g         Palm sugar, grated.

2 tbsp     Thai fish sauce ( Tiparos or Squid brand preferable) 

20g         Thai sweet basil leaves (Ho ra pa leaves)
1 Chilli,sliced for garnishing (Optional)

Directions:

Render the coconut milk using 1 and 1/2 cups and simmer on low heat for 7-10 minutes until the coconut oil separates from the liquid.

Add red curry paste and stir until the paste combines well with the coconut milk (about 1-2 minutes). At this stage you should be able to smell the aroma from the curry paste. Let it simmer on low heat for a further 1-2 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Stir in the pumpkin and the rest of the coconut milk then turn the heat on medium-high. When it starts boiling, add the chicken and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add Palm sugar and fish sauce and continue cooking for another 3 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.

Turn off the gas and add basil leaves, stir well and serve. Enjoy!!!!