Thailand Tod Man Pla (Fish Cakes)
Popular in Thailand and one of the most prominent appetizers on Thai restaurants' menus, tod man pla is a traditional dish that remains incredibly popular in modern Thai cuisine. Customarily made in Thailand with the freshwater fish pla grai, most modern recipes call for the use of fish paste due to the general unavailability of pla grai around the world.
Recipe Servings: 3
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 3 kaffir lime leaves
- 4 oz (113 g) green beans
- 1 egg
- 12 oz (340 g) fish paste
- ½ Tbsp (7.5 ml) salt
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) sugar
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) red curry paste
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil, for frying
- Thai cucumber relish, as needed for serving
Directions
- Place kaffir lime leaves in a stack and roll them tightly.
- Slice roll of leaves thinly, to create very thin strips of leaves.
- Slice green beans into short cross-sectional pieces (not lengthwise) so they are approximately ⅛-inch (3-mm) thick.
- Combine egg, fish paste, salt, sugar, and red curry paste in a medium bowl, stirring until the mixture becomes a paste with a smooth and shiny consistency. This can be done by hand or using an electric mixer.
- Add kaffir lime leaves and green beans, stirring to incorporate them evenly.
- Pour vegetable oil into a flat-bottomed pan set over medium heat.
- Test oil's temperature by dropping in a small piece of fish paste; the oil is ready when the fish paste puffs around the edges.
- Drop a tablespoonful of fish paste into the pan once the oil is hot enough.
- Flip fish cake when cooked to a rich brown and press down with the spatula to flatten. If necessary, flip again to get both sides equally browned.
- Transfer cooked fish cake to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Repeat cooking process using the remaining fish paste mixture.
- Serve hot with traditional Thai cucumber relish.
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