Thai Fish Truffles (often called Tod Mun Pla) are usually not solely tremendous well-liked in Thailand but in addition internationally. In the event you love the fish truffles at your favorite native Thai restaurant, then attempt my simple genuine 20-minute model. All you want is fish, pink curry paste, egg, corn starch and fish sauce.
Full of flavour and is less expensive and higher than takeout! I like having these with Tofu Pad See Ew for Thai evening at house.
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🐟 What are Thai Fish Cakes?
Thai Fish Cakes are Thailand’s most beloved entree. Known as Tod Mun Pla in Thai, these are golden fried, spicy and chewy fish patties that have a springy, bouncy texture. In Thai “Tod Mun” means deep fry and “Pla” means fish.
Traditionally, in Thailand, these are made with Clown Featherback fish (known as Pla Grai) because of their unique elastic flesh. The flesh is beaten and whacked with a wooden baton or slapped against a bowl to activate the starch and create a bouncy, springy texture that makes Thai fish cakes so unique.
The fish paste that is created as a result is flavoured with red curry paste, Makrut lime leaves and fish sauce. It is then formed into patties and deep-fried. It is served with a cucumber and sweet-chilli sauce relish.
🦐 Best fish for Thai Fish Cakes
In the absence of Pla Grai, you can use a white fish that has firm, dense and reasonably elastic flesh. Adding 6-8 raw, peeled prawns also increases the elasticity of the resulting fish paste. Your fish must also be slightly fatty as this helps bind the fish paste.
You want to avoid small, lean or flaky fish. Try not to use red fish.
These are the best white fish to use,
- Ling (my recipes use this)
- Basa (great for Thai fish cakes and what I use for my Thai Green Curry Fish Cakes),
- Barramundi
- Catfish
- Cod
- Grouper
- Trevalla
- Mahi Mahi
🧡 Why you’ll love this recipe
- You don’t need Thai fish paste or any special, hard to find ingredients for this recipe.
- They taste just like your favourite Thai takeout.
- They are super easy to make. Just blend a handful of ingredients in the processor, make patties and pan-fry. Done!
- Pan-fried, not deep-fried!
- Makes a big batch of 18. Super cost-effective and everyone can enjoy generous portions.
📝 Ingredients & Substitutions
Traditional Thai Fish Cakes are made with fish paste. Fish paste is made by beating white fish flesh (like Pla Grai / Clown Featherfish of the Knifeback family) with red curry paste and aromatics until it is starchy, elastic and firm.
To create this same authentic texture and flavour, we only need a handful of easily available ingredients.
- Fish – I use Ling for my recipe. It is firm and has dense, elastic flesh. Basa is a great substitution. You want a fish that is not lean and slightly oily/fatty as this helps bind the fish paste. Other firm textured, non-flaky white fish to use are Barramundi, Grouper, Cod, Catfish, Trevalla and Mahi Mahi.
- Red Curry Paste – This is the most important ingredient for the fish cakes. I use the Maesri brand of red curry paste. It’s a good quantity of spicy, salty and savoury. It provides a scrumptious kick to the fish truffles with out being overtly spicy. In the event you use one other model like Ayam, your fish cake will likely be much less spicy. You possibly can, after all, use any Thai pink curry paste you want. Another good manufacturers are Marion Grasby (this one is correctly spicy!) and Mae Ploy
- Thai Fish Sauce – This can be a Thai condiment that provides saltiness and umami to the fish truffles. If you do not have fish sauce, substitute with half mild soy sauce and half lime juice.
- Makrut Lime leaves – Also referred to as Kaffir lime leaves. Historically, chiffonade (leaves minimize into very skinny slivers) of lime leaves is added to the fish truffles. If you cannot discover lime leaves, substitute with a teaspoon of lime zest.
- Beans – Snake beans are thinly sliced and added to the fish truffles. These produce these well-known little inexperienced circles within the Thai fish truffles that appear like inexperienced chilli slices. If you cannot discover snake beans, substitute with common inexperienced beans.
- Corn starch and Egg – These are each important to making a starchy fish paste that may be formed into patties. Corn starch (also referred to as corn flour) is the superfine white powder that’s used to thicken Asian sauces.
- Garlic, Ginger, Coriander, Lemongrass – These are historically not added to the fish truffles. However my native Thai restaurant provides a few of these and boy does it elevate the flavour. These 4 aromatics improve the opposite flavours within the fish truffles. If you do not have lemongrass powder, you’ll be able to substitute it with a teaspoon of finely chopped white a part of lemongrass or depart it out. However be sure to add garlic, ginger and coriander.
🥣 The best way to make Thai Fish Truffles?
- Destem and chop Makrut Lime leaves very finely.
- Slice green beans thinly.
3. Add fish, red curry paste, egg, cornflour, fish sauce, coriander, garlic, ginger and lemongrass to the bowl of a food processor and process until it forms a smooth and sticky paste.
4. Transfer fish paste to a bowl and add Makrut lime leaves and green beans.
5. Mix the fish paste very well, kneading and slapping it against the bowl to create a smooth texture. Using damp hands, make 1cm thick patties from 1/4 cup fish paste.
6. Fry patties in shallow oil in a hot pan until cooked and golden on both sides.
Serve with sweet chilli sauce and Cos lettuce leaves.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
These Thai Fish Cakes are delicious on their own and served as appetizers at the start of an Asian meal. Serve them with Thai cucumber and sweet chilli dipping sauce along with some fresh Cos lettuce leaves and shredded carrot.
But they can be also served as a main dish with some steamed jasmine rice. Serve these delicious fish cakes alongside these delicious Thai dishes.
- Tofu Larb
- Prawn & Tofu Pad Thai
- Thai Prawn And Mango Salad
- Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
- Thai Cabbage Salad
- Thai Red Curry Tofu Soup
- Thai Chicken Noodle Salad
- Noodle Free Pad Thai
Cooked fish truffles will hold within the fridge for as much as 2 days. Gently warmth within the microwave earlier than consuming. Freezing these fish truffles will not be really helpful as they will get water-logged and rubbery after thawing.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Freezing is not recommended as the fish cakes can get waterlogged and become rubbery after thawing.
Traditionally these are made with Pla Grai (Clown Featherfish). Best substitutes are a firm, white fish with a dense and elastic flesh like Ling or Basa. You can also use Grouper, Mahi Mahi, Trevalla, Catfish, Cod or Barramundi.
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To destem Makrut lime leaves, take away the middle stem utilizing a pointy paring knife. Slice the leaf into very skinny slivers. You possibly can depart them as these slivers or chop them additional.
Place fish fillets, pink curry paste, fish sauce, coriander, egg, sugar, corn starch, garlic, ginger, lemongrass (if utilizing) within the bowl of a meals processor.
Pulse and course of to a easy paste.
Switch to a medium bowl. Add Makrut lime leaves and inexperienced beans.
Combine effectively utilizing your fingers to get a easy, bouncy, lump-free fish paste. Choose up the paste and slap it towards the bowl a few instances till agency.
Have a small bowl of chilly water prepared. Dampen your fingers by dipping your fingers within the water bowl. Scoop ¼ cup of the fish combination and type 1cm excessive, spherical patties. Repeat with the remaining paste, wiping your fingers with a tea towel and wetting them after each 2-3 patties. You’re going to get roughly 18 patties.
Warmth sufficient vegetable oil on medium-high warmth in a skillet to cowl the bottom. Add 5-6 patties to the new oil at a time. Prepare dinner for 2-3 minutes then gently flip them over and prepare dinner for 2-3 minutes till golden brown.
Take away onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining patties. If they begin browning too shortly, scale back the warmth barely. In the event that they take too lengthy to brown, enhance warmth barely.
Serve scorching with candy chilli sauce, lime wedges and contemporary Cos lettuce leaves.
Energy: 39kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 6g | Fats: 1g | Saturated Fats: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 0.2g | Ldl cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 422IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.3mg