FISH CAKES WITH WARM HERBED RICE SALAD

This consists of three simple South East Asian inspired elements, fried fish cakes, a warm rice salad and wilted bok choy. This is inspired by a fragrant herbed rice dish I ate in Bali. The Thai-style fish cakes are an eternal favourite.

Prep:
30 minutes
Cook:
20 minutes
Serves:
4

Ingredients

600g skinned boned firm white fish

125mL Coconut Cream

2 Garlic Cloves, chopped

5 tablespoons finely chopped ginger

1 egg white

1 teaspoon Salt

1 Spring Onion, thinly sliced

vegetable oil

300g Trade Aid jasmine rice, well rinsed and drained

500mL water

6 tablespoons Megachef fish sauce

6 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

1 tablespoon Olivado Sesame Oil

2 tablespoons grated or crushed palm sugar

1/2 cup Fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped, plus extra for serving

1/2 cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped, plus extra for serving

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1 Red Chilli, thinly sliced

1/2 cup long strand dessicated coconut, toasted in a dry pan over moderate heat

1 lemon or lime, zested

Method

Put the fish, coconut cream, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the ginger, the egg white and the salt into a food processor and process until smooth. Stir in the spring onion thoroughly

With lightly oiled hands, form the mixture into 12 small cakes about 6cm in diameter and 2cm thick. Place side by side on a plate and reserve

Put the rice in a suacepan and add the 500ml water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Cover, move to your stove’s smallest element and turn the heat to the lowest setting. Cook, without uncovering for any reason, for 20 minutes

Put the fish sauce, juice, sesame oil and sugar into a bowl and mix until the sugar dissolves. This is the dressing. Reserve

Heat about 1cm of vegetable oil in a frying pan over moderate heat and gently fry the fish cakes in batches until well browned on each side. Remove and drain on paper towels

Bring another saucepan with water about 10cm deep to the boil. Drop the bok choy into it. Bring back to the boil and simmer 2-3 minutes or until well wilted. Drain the bok choy well, and toss in the oyster sauce

Remove the rice from the heat, uncover and fluff up with a fork but don’t mash the rice grains. Place the rice in a warm bowl and add the dressing, the remaining ginger, the chopped herbs, peanuts, chilli, coconut and zest. Mix gently

Serve the fish cakes with the rice salad and the bok choy and sprinkle extra coriander and mint on top