Thai Fish Cakes (Tod Mun Pla)

Tod mun pla are Thailand’s favorite fish cakes and one of the country’s most beloved street snacks. Cooks pound fresh white fish with red curry paste until the mixture turns bouncy and sticky — a texture Thais prize and call springy. Long beans and kaffir lime leaves are folded in for crunch and a citrusy perfume, and every party platter has a stack of them, fried to order and handed over steaming hot.

Golden outside, springy and fragrant within

Fried until deep golden, the cakes have a crisp shell that gives way to a dense, bouncy center humming with curry paste and lime. The classic partner is sweet chili sauce with crushed peanuts and cucumber, its sugar taming the heat. They disappear first at any Thai gathering, and they are surprisingly simple to make at home. Eat them the moment they come out of the oil, while the shell is still shattering and the center is hot.

Craving more? Explore all Thai Kitchen recipes.

This dish leans on the condiments covered in Beginner’s Guide to Asian Sauces & Seasonings.

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