Thai Fish Cakes

Fish cakes are great, in all the many ways they come. These however have to be my favourite. Being small and chewy, a little spicy and aromatic, the most perfect finger food.

I don't really need to go on about them, do I? You know you want some, and I do, too!

Ingredients:

400g White Fish Filet

1 tbs Thai Red Curry Paste

50g Green Beans, sliced into small rounds

5 Kaffir Lime Leafes, shredded thinly

1 Egg

1/2 tsp Palm Sugar

a splash of Fish Sauce

Pulse the Fish in a food processor until finely chopped, but some texture remaining.

Add the Egg, Sugar, Curry Paste and a splash of Fish Sauce and pulse again until everything is combined.

Mix in the green Beans afterwards.

Using wet hands make tiny little fish cakes.

Shallow fry the Fish Cakes in Peanut Oil for 3 minutes on each side until nicely brown and puffed up.

Thai Fish Cakes are best served with a Cucumber Relish. This recipe doesn't have amounts as I just mixed everything together and seasoned to balance the '4S' taste afterwards. ('4S' stands for Savoury, Sweet, Sour, Spicy)

Ingredients:

Rice Vinegar

Diced Cucumber

Chopped Chilli

Chopped red Onion

Sugar

Fish Sauce

Enjoy!

Big Momma Thai Stew

Tonight the Vegetables in my Vegetable Draw and the Herbs and Spices in my fridge where all competing for my attention and I could hear them calling to me: 'Pick me! Pick Me!'

The Vegetables are all of the Caribbean kind (Cassava Root, Purple Sweet Potato, Okra, Spinach) and they wanted to be in a big Momma Caribbean Stew. While the Herbs were the delicate Thai Variety (Coriander, Birds Eye Chillies,  Lemongrass, Kafir Lime Leaf, Ginger) and they wanted to be in a little Thai Coconut Soup.

After long deliberating and contemplating, I decided that a Fusion is the only answer. By the way the chicken thighs I was defrosting, didn't mind at all what they became.
Everything will just have to all go into a pot together and make a Caribbean & Thai Fusion Pot.

I am not normally a fan of fusion food and some foods and flavours quite frankly should be left alone and celebrated for what they are, instead of forcing them to go together.
Which is why I resisted the temptation to add spices from the Caribbean as well as the flavours of Thailand into my creation.

So, here are the Ingredients:

200g Chicken Thighs, taken off the bone and diced

1/2 small Cassava Root, peeled and diced into medium chunks

1 Purple Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 Carrot, peeled and cut into small chunks

a few Cauliflower Florets

a large handful of Spinach,roughly chopped

a large handful of Coriander, roughly chopped

3-4 Birds Eye Chillies, chopped

1 large Spring Onion, sliced

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 thumb sized piece of Ginger, minced

6 Kafir Lime Leaves

1 stalk of Lemongrass

1 tsp Palm  Sugar

1 tbs Fish Sauce

500ml Chicken Stock

1 tin of Coconut Milk

Place all the Ingredients into a large Pot... wait not all... keep the Spinach, Spring Onion, Chillies and Coriander until right at the end. Pour over the Chicken stock and Coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer quietly for 10-15 minutes, check the vegetables are cooked just right with a little bite and freshness retained.

Turn off the heat and gently stir in the Spinach, Spring Onion, Chilli and Coriander. Done is the Big Momma Thai Stew. It tastes just like a Tom Kha Thai Soup but with many more goodies inside :-)

Tom Yum with Fish and Magic Sauce

Here I am recreating one of the great dishes I have eaten on my foody tour to Bangkok. The Sauce I do not know the name of, but for me, it makes the dish. I had been going to this little gem of a Restaurant for the past couple of days and the people working there recognised me now. As my purpose for my visit to Bangkok was to taste the real Thai Food, I always ordered a couple of dishes, to get as much tasting done as possible. Not just because I'm greedy :-)

So one of the guys noticed how much I was enjoying the food and he came over with  this little dish  of green sauce.  He said: 'Add it to the Tom Yum' and with a grand gesture skywards:  'It will give it a lift!' 

What can I say,.I have to thank that nice man, it was the best discovery on the whole trip. Tom Yum will never be the same.

Ingredients for the Tom Yum:

1 whole cleaned large Gurnard, cut into chunky steaks

4 Lemongrass sticks, bruised and sliced into 1 inch pieces

1 small Galangal root, sliced

6 long dried roasted Chillies

2 long red fresh Chillies, crushed in a pestle and mortar

6 Kaffir Lime Leaves, torn

6 tbs Fish Sauce

2 Limes (juiced)

1 tbs Coriander stalks 

1 tbs Coriander Leaves

3 Mushrooms, quartered

3 Cherry Tomatoes, quartered

Place the Fish into a pot and cover with Water. Add the Fish Sauce, Galangal, Lemongrass, Dried Chillies, Kaffir Lime Leafes and Coriander Stalks and bring to a simmer. Do not cover the pot with a lid to keep the broth nice and clear.

Once simmering turn down the heat and cook until the fish is done (about 5-7 minutes). 

Lovingly remove any scum that rises to the top with a spoon.

Add the Tomatoes and Mushrooms and turn off the heat. Leave to rest for a minute or 2 before adding the crushed Chillies, Coriander leaves and Lime Juice, then serve straight away.

Crush the fresh Chillies in a pestle and Mortar, to release the colour and flavour.

Ingredients for The Magic Sauce:

Place into a Blender...

2 Limes (juice of)

1 tbs Fish Sauce

1 tbs Palm Sugar

2 tbs Coriander, fresh

...blitz until smooth and the Magic is done.

This is my new favourite condiment and it goes fantastically with fish :-)

I had my Tom Yum with some steamed Rice and Cucumber slices (they are for cooling down a mouth on fire)

To eat the Soup, place the Fish on your plate, remove the centre bone, then place the fish filet on top of the rice, add a spoonful of Magic Sauce and enjoy! 

Try adding a little Magic Sauce to the Soup also to give it the all important lift and fresh kick.

Yam Mamuang - Thai Green Mango Salad

My local greengrocer keeps selling these mangoes that are green and never get ripe before they go off. Do they know that this is perfect for my yummy Thai Dish or is it just a bad import?

I do not care either way, because I found exactly what I need.

This super refreshing Salad has a proper kick from the chillies and is a perfect example of how the 4 s's (Sweet, Sour, Savoury, Spicy) blend together in harmony.

I found this special peeler in a supermarket in Asia. It has many functions for ornamental carving ect, but I think most people would use it for making either this Green Mango or the Green Papaya salad.

If you can find one, get it, if not just use a grater or a mandolin, or do it the old fashioned way.... slashing loads of little cuts with a knife all over the flesh then slicing the little ribbons off, carefully.

So here are the Ingredients:

(serves 1-2 @ 3 Weightwatchers points)

1 green Mango, peeled and flesh grated using an ornamental peeler 

1/4 red Onion, sliced thinly

10 cashew nuts, chopped roughly

2 chillies (mine were orange and quite hot, but use you're favourite)

a few fresh Coriander Leafes, chopped roughly

1/2 Lime (juice)

1 tsp Palm Sugar

1 tbs Fish Sauce

Simply mix everything together thoroughly and serve right away. Enjoy!