Ingredients

• 2 tbsp ready-made red curry paste from a jar
• 1 free-range egg
• 300g/10½oz pollock fillet
• skin removed
• cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 3 lime leaves
• thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
• 10 green beans
• finely chopped
• flour
• for dusting
• vegetable oil
• for deep-frying
• 60ml/2fl oz water
• 75ml/2½fl oz rice vinegar
• 50g/2oz sugar
• 1 garlic clove
• finely chopped
• 1 cucumber
• peeled and finely chopped
• 4 shallots
• finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh root ginger
• watercress
• washed and drained

Directions

• Place the curry paste
• egg and pollock fillet into a food processor and pulse until smooth.
• Place the pollock mixture into a bowl and add the fish sauce
• sugar
• cornflour
• lime leaves
• coriander and green beans. Mix well.
• With floured hands
• mould equal quantities of the fishcake mixture into fishcakes approximately 7.5cm/3in in diameter (you should be able to make 6-8 fishcakes.
• Half-fill a deep
• heavy-based pan with vegetable oil and heat until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
• Add the fishcakes in batches and deep-fry for 5-6 minutes
• until crisp and golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain onto kitchen paper.
• For the dipping sauce
• place the water
• vinegar and sugar into a non-reactive pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Stir until the sugar has dissolved
• then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Once cooled
• add the garlic
• cucumber
• shallots and ginger. Mix well
• then pour into a serving bowl.
• To serve
• place some watercress onto a large serving plate and top with the fishcakes. Serve the dipping sauce alongside.