Thai Fish Cakes

For the dipping sauce, peel the carrot and mince into very small cubes. Peel the cucumber, halve lengthwise, remove seeds and also mince into very small cubes. Fry the peanuts in a pan, remove and allow to cool, then chop. In a saucepan, dissolve the sugar in 250 ml (approximately 8 ounces) of water, and add the vinegar and the fish stock. Rinse the chile, remove seeds, chop and add to the pan. Simmer over medium heat, then add diced vegetables and leave to cool. Stir in the nuts and pour into a bowl.

For the fish cakes, rinse the fish, pat dry and chop. Mix with the flour and fish stock until well coated. Rinse the green beans and blanch in boiling salted water for 6 minutes. Flash in ice water and drain well, then cut into thin rings. Rinse the scallions and cut into thin rings. Rinse the cilantro, shake dry and chop finely, reserving a few leaves to garnish. Rinse the chile, remove seeds and chop finely. Crack the egg and add to the fish along with the beans, scallions, chile and cilantro. Mix everything together. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and chili paste, then form the mixture into small balls. 

In a frying pan or wok, heat the oil and fry the fish cakes until golden brown.