Dip in to fishcake flavours

No potatoes or egg are used in these fishcakes and the resulting tough-but-tasty skin formed upon cooking is delicious. 3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 red chilli

2 onions, chopped

1 tsp chilli powder

1⁄2 tsp ground cumin

1⁄2 tsp ground coriander

50g fresh ginger, peeled and grated 1 tsp tamarind paste grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp fish sauce

400g white fish fillet (such as hake, pollock, whiting or cod), chopped into 2cm pieces vegetable oil, for frying

For the dipping sauce : 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp fish sauce, freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime, 1⁄2 carrot finely diced, 1⁄2 cucumber finely diced

Begin by making the dipping sauce. Heat the sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and fish sauce in a saucepan set over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and let cool, before adding the lime juice, carrot and cucumber. Set aside until ready to serve.

Put the garlic, chilli and onions in a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped and combined. Add the spices, ginger, tamarind, lime zest and juice and fish sauce, and pulse again to combine. Finally, add the fish pieces and pulse briefly until fully combined – it should be the texture of a thick porridge. Don’t over-blend the mixture once the fish has been added as it can easily become a paste.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a saucepan set over a medium heat. Scoop tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the hot pan. After about a minute, flip the fishcakes over and cook for a further minute, until golden brown. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

Serves 4