Ingredients:6-8 servings

• 1 spotted featherback or spotted mackerels fish, 750 g scraped flesh
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ palm sugar
• ½ cup finely sliced wing beans or yard-long green beans
• 4 finely sliced kaffir lime leaves
• Crisp-fried holy basil leaves, to garnish
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying

For the red curry paste

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, roasted
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted
• 5 whole white peppercorns, roasted
• 5 dried spur chilies, seeded, cut into small pieces, soaked to soften, drained and squeezed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon chopped galangal
• 1 stalk lemongrass, outer layers discarded, bottom third only, finely sliced and fibrous core removed
• 1 teaspoon chopped kaffir lime zest
• 2 teaspoon scraped and finely chopped coriander roots
• 10 cloves Thai garlic, peeled
• 5 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 teaspoon Thai shrimp paste, grilled for aroma

For the cucumber relish

• 2 red spur chilies, cut into thin slices
• 11 garlic, peeled
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cucumbers, quartered and cut into thin slices

 Methods

1. To make the curry paste, grind the dried spices (coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns) with a stone mortar and pestle. Spoon into a bowl and set aside. Pound the spur chilies and salt to smooth paste. Add, one at a time, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest, and coriander roots, pounding each finely before adding the others. Add garlic and shallots and pulverize until smooth. Finally, add shrimp paste and ground spices. Pound to blend well.
2. For the cucumber relish, pound the spur chilies and garlic to obtain fine paste. Set aside. Mix granulated sugar, rice vinegar, salt and water in a pot, stirring to dissolve and place over medium-low heat. Bring to a light boil. Then adjust the heat to low. Add the chilies-garlic mixture, blending well. Continue to simmer until the sauce slightly thickens. Remove from the heat and let cool. Mix the sauce with cucumber slices just before serving.
3. To make the fish cake, put the scraped fish meat in a mixing bowl and cover with a plastic wrap, chilling in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Then place the bowl in the ice bath. Add the curry paste and knead until blended. Add egg, kneading until smooth. Form the mixture into a large ball and slap back into the mixing bowl repeatedly while gradually add salt. Toss in the yard-long beans and kaffir lime leaves. Knead to mix well.
4. Shape the mixture into small round patties (5 cm cross). Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. When oil is hot enough (to test, drop a tiny piece of mixture in to see if it sizzles and floats up), fry them in batches until golden, floating up. Drain the fish cakes on rack or paper towel.

Note: For crisp-fried holy basil leaves, first rinse and blot dry the leaves thoroughly. Warm ½ cup oil in small wok or heavy saucepan. When the oil is just warm (test by dropping in 1 leaf and it sizzles), fry the holy basil leaves, pressing to submerge briefly and let go. It takes less then 5 seconds for the leaves to become crisp and translucent. Drain well.