Spicy Fish Cakes

INGREDIENTS

For about 20 cakes:
3 slices white bread
1/2 medium red onion, peeled
300/400g fish fillets, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
about 1/4 cup chopped coriander
1 medium carrot, grated
2/3 tablespoons olive or canola oil for frying

Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sugar
finely chopped red chilli to taste
tiny cubes of carrot and chopped coriander for colour

Delicious little Thai-Style fish cakes. Recipe from Simon Holst's 'Fast & Fantastic' Cookbook

Tear the bread slices into 4?6 pieces each and place in a food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade. Process until the bread is in crumbs no larger than peas.

Chop the onion into 4?6 chunks and add to the crumbs along with the fish. Process until the fish is finely chopped, then add the next five ingredients and process until the mixture begins to form a ball. Add the coriander and carrot and process until just mixed.

Working with wet hands (this prevents sticking), shape the mixture into walnut sized balls, then flatten these into disks about 11/2cm thick.

When the cakes are shaped, set them aside for a couple of minutes while you prepare the dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Heat just enough of the oil to cover the bottom of a non-stick fry pan. Add as many of the cakes as will comfortably fit in one batch and cook over a medium heat until the first side is golden brown (about 3 minutes), then gently turn them over and cook the second side.

Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels while you cook the rest.

Arrange on a platter (thinly shredded lettuce makes a good base) and with a bowl (or bowls) of the dipping sauce and serve.