Tod Mun Pla — Thai Fish Cakes

RECIPES, Curries, Other

Tod Mun Pla — Thai Fish Cakes
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Tod Mun Pla — Thai Fish Cakes

Course: Sides, Snacks
Servings

2

servings
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

Tod mun pla are one of Thailand's great street food classics — golden, slightly springy fish cakes fragrant with red curry paste and finely shredded kaffir lime leaves, served with a sweet and tangy dipping sauce. They are the kind of snack that disappears from the plate before you have finished cooking the last batch. The kaffir lime leaf is not a garnish here — it is woven into every cake, releasing its citrusy, floral oil with every bite and giving tod mun pla a character that no other fish cake in the world quite matches. Simple to make, deeply satisfying, and unmistakably Thai.

Ingredients

  • For the fish cakes:

  • 400 grams white fish fillets, roughly chopped (cod, haddock, or any firm white fish)

  • 1 bag ONOFF Spices Thai Red Curry Paste

  • 6 fresh kaffir lime leaves, central stem removed, finely shredded (or ONOFF Spices Dried Thai Lime Leaf, crumbled)

  • 1 tablespoon ONOFF Spices No Fish Vegan Seasoning Sauce (or fish sauce)

  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar (or coconut sugar as a substitute)

  • 1 egg

  • 75 grams green beans, very finely sliced into rounds

  • vegetable oil for frying

  • For the dipping sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons ONOFF Spices Thai Rice Vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or coconut sugar as a substitute)

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced

  • 1 tablespoon cucumber, finely diced

  • 1 shallot, finely sliced

Directions

  • The dipping sauce:
  • Combine the Thai rice vinegar, palm sugar, and salt in a small bowl and stir until the sugar and salt have fully dissolved.
  • Add the chilli, cucumber, and shallot and set aside to allow the flavours to meld while you prepare the fish cakes.
  • The fish cakes:
  • Place the fish, red curry paste, No Fish Vegan Seasoning Sauce, palm sugar, and egg in a food processor and blend until a smooth, slightly sticky paste forms.
  • Transfer to a bowl and fold in the shredded kaffir lime leaves and sliced green beans by hand — these should remain visible in the mixture rather than being blended in.
  • With lightly oiled hands, shape the mixture into small, flat round patties approximately 1cm thick and 6cm in diameter.
  • Heat a generous layer of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the fish cakes in batches for 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden and cooked through. Do not crowd the pan.
  • Drain briefly on kitchen paper and serve immediately with the dipping sauce alongside.

Notes

  • The texture of tod mun pla should be slightly springy and bouncy — this comes from working the fish paste well before shaping. If the mixture feels too wet to shape, refrigerate it for 15 minutes before forming the patties. For a fully vegan version, substitute the fish with firm tofu blended smooth and use ONOFF's No Fish Vegan Seasoning Sauce throughout.