Tinned Thai Fishcake Bowls
A spicy and healthy dinner
This week Charles has been back at work and I’ve experienced my first days parenting our son solo. Cooking with a baby is a new challenge, but it’s one I’m going to learn how to get better at. The key seems to be choosing meals that can be stopped and started with ease. This week’s recipe fits the bill, as it is can be (but doesn’t have to be) prepped in stages. It’s also delicious and pretty quick to put together. Hope you like it.
Being in the kitchen looks different for me now. The dangerous parts like frying will have to happen while the baby is not in my arms, but chopping, stirring, mixing and layering are all quite fun to do while wearing a sling. Intrusive thoughts be damned, me and baby are safe together.
This dinner is an easy meal that feels healthy but is also fun. The fishcakes themselves need just 4 ingredients and are made complete with the addition of Jasmine rice and a very simple salad. Feel free to serve them with your favourite spicy sauce, or make the easy chilli-garlic sauce below.
I prepped the fishcake mixture and cooked the rice in one stage. Then while baby slept I fried the fishcakes and made the chilli-garlic sauce. Finally when it was time to eat, I prepared the crunchy veg and reheated the rice and fishcakes. Everyone’s a winner! Would the baby taste the chilli in my breast milk? Sadly, some things we’ll never know…
Tinned Thai Fishcake Bowls
For the fishcakes
2 tins salmon or trout, drained (approx 400g total)
3 tbsp red Thai curry paste (I use this one – use less if you don’t want it too spicy)
1 egg
1 handful coriander, stalks included, finely chopped
200ml frying oil
2 carrots, grated or julienned
2 spring onions, thinly sliced lengthwise
A little shredded white cabbage
1 handful coriander sprigs
1 cup Jasmine rice
For the dressing
½ disc or 30g palm sugar (or use 30g light brown sugar)
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 garlic clove, finely diced
2 red birdseye chilies, finely diced
In a small pan with a lid on, cook the jasmine rice in 1 and ¼ cups boiling water for 12 minutes on a medium heat. After this point it should be cooked through and slightly sticky.
Mix and mash the tinned salmon, Thai curry paste, egg and chopped coriander with a spoon until it forms a thick reddish paste. Refrigerate for 20-30 mins (or longer if necessary). Form into 8-9 small patties and fry in batches in hot oil on a medium heat (I usually fry mine in a wok). The fishcakes are ready when they're golden on both sides, about 3 ½ minutes total.
For the dressing, grate the palm sugar into the vinegar in a small frying pan then melt gently and pour over the chilli and garlic in a small serving ramekin.
Serve four of the fishcakes on top of half the rice with the salad on the side for each portion. Pour the chilli garlic dressing all over.
See you next time!