JOHN TORODE

John Torode shares three recipes from his new book Sydney to Seoul

Thai fishcakes

This is one of the easiest Thai snacks, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. The texture of the fishcakes should be slightly rubbery, with a textured outer coating. They should contain a good amount of spice and lots of lime leaves. I have done my utmost to be as authentic as I can with this recipe.

FOR THE FISHCAKES

100g skinless salmon fillet 100g skinless cod fillet 150g prepared squid 30g shop-bought red curry paste 8 lime leaves, very finely shredded 100g pack green beans, chopped 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 large egg white 1 tbsp oyster sauce 200ml vegetable oil, for deep-frying

TO SERVE

handful of fresh coriander sprigs sweet chilli sauce 2 fresh red chillies, deseeded

and finely diced ½ cucumber, deseeded and diced 15g roasted peanuts, chopped

1 Blend the salmon, cod and squid in a food processor until smooth. Add the red curry paste and pulse until well mixed. Put all the other ingredients, except the vegetable oil, in a bowl. Mix in the fish mixture, then knead everything together for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. To achieve a texture similar to the fishcakes from Thai street stalls, you should literally throw the paste into the bowl several times to make the mixture more elastic.

2 Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or deep frying pan to 180C or until the oil bubbles up around the handle of a wooden spoon. Drop heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and deep-fry the fishcakes in batches over a medium heat until golden, about 4 mins. Drain on kitchen paper.

3 Serve the fishcakes with a scattering of fresh coriander and a bowl of the sweet chilli sauce mixed with the chilli and cucumber and the chopped peanuts on top.