Thai Fish Cakes
Bouncy red-curry fish cakes with a sweet chilli dip.
Ingredients
- 500 g White fish fillet
- 3 tbsp Red curry paste
- 80 g Long beans
- 4 Kaffir lime leaves
- 1 tbsp Fish sauce
- 1 Egg
- 400 ml Neutral oil
Method
- Blend the white fish with the red curry paste, fish sauce, and egg until it comes together into a smooth, sticky paste.
- Fold the finely sliced long beans and shredded kaffir lime leaves through the paste, then shape into small flat patties.
- Heat the oil in a deep pan until shimmering and fry the cakes in batches until golden, puffed, and bouncy, then drain on paper towels.
- Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Thai Fish Cakes
Tod mun pla are Thai fish cakes, the springy, deep-fried patties sold as street snacks and served as an appetiser across Thailand. Their signature bounce comes from the technique rather than any special ingredient: white fish is blended with red curry paste, fish sauce, and egg until it turns into a smooth, sticky, almost elastic paste, and that worked texture is what gives the cooked cakes their characteristic snap. The red curry paste does double duty, seasoning the fish with lemongrass, galangal, and chili while tinting the cakes a warm orange-red.
Finely sliced long beans give little bursts of crunch through the soft interior, and shredded kaffir lime leaves lace the whole thing with a bright, floral citrus perfume that's unmistakably Thai. Fried until golden and puffed, then drained, they're meant to be eaten hot with a sweet chili dip that balances their savoury heat with sugar and vinegar. This is finger food built for sharing, quick enough to make in half an hour, and the key is working the fish paste enough to develop that bounce before shaping the patties.
Thai Fish Cakes: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Thai Fish Cakes?
A serving has about 255 calories — 23.7g protein, 4.4g carbs, 15.6g fat, 1.6g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Thai Fish Cakes gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Thai Fish Cakes has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Thai Fish Cakes take to make?
About 30 minutes start to finish, but only around 24 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Thai Fish Cakes make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.