Gulf News' Your Ramadan Table' food show: Thai fish cakes with sweet plum sauce
A spicy recipe with kaffir lime and pinakurat vinegar from Chef John Buenaventura
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3
Ingredients
400 gms white tender fish
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste (store bought)
2 egg yolks
5 gms sweet basil
30 gms brown sugar
40 gms long beans
1 piece kaffir lime leaves
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp roasted sesame oil
1 tbsp cornstarch
A pinch of kaffir lime zest
Salt to taste
1 banana leaf
Sweet plum sauce
5 gms red chilli
30 gms long beans (thinly chopped)
30 gms cucumber diced)
20 gms cucumber (grated)
5 gms garlic
5 gms ginger
10 gms onion (chopped)
50 gms plum sauce (store bought)
1 tbsp pinakurat vinegar
30 ml water
Method
To prepare Thai fish cakes, first debone and roughly chop some fish. Barracuda, sea bass, or seabream are good options for this recipe. Next, chop some kaffir lime leaves, sweet basil, long beans, and add lime zest and season it with some salt. Mix these ingredients in a bowl with red curry paste, fish sauce, brown sugar, roasted sesame oil, and egg yolks. Add one tablespoon of cornstarch to bind everything together, and ensure the fish is chopped small enough to combine well with the other ingredients.
After combining everything, set it aside and oil your palms to prevent the fish cake mixture from sticking. Make small patties and set them aside. Heat some corn oil in a pan over a high flame and deep fry the patties until they are golden brown and crispy. Keep it aside.
For the sweet plum sauce, add chopped mint leaves, roughly chop some garlic, grated ginger, and deseed and chop a red chilli. Mix grated and diced cucumber with plum sauce and pinakurat vinegar, combining well.
To enhance the flavour of Thai fish cakes, you can heat banana leaves on a stove. Then, you can serve the fish cakes on top of the heated leaves, which will give them a more earthy taste. Serve sweet plum sauce on the side to complement the dish.
Tips
Add toasted peanuts to the fish cake mixture for a crunchy texture. (optional)
When making iced tea, add kaffir lime leaves for more flavour.
Food brings people together, and there's no better way to do it than with a dish that's bursting with flavour. Thai fish cakes with sweet plum sauce are the perfect example of how food can create connections and memories that last a lifetime.
Join us for the next recipe tomorrow!
Do you have a favourite Ramadan recipe to share? Write to us at food@gulfnews.com.