Thai Tuna Curry Fish Cakes, Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener

Method

1. Make the dipping sauce first: put 4 tablespoons fish sauce, 4 to 5 tablespoons lime juice and 3 to 4 teaspoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend in a bowl, stir until dissolved and adjust the balance of sour and sweet. Add 2 tablespoons minced chili, the cucumber pieces and 1 tablespoon cilantro, and leave for about 15 minutes to infuse.
2. Tip the 2 cans of tuna into a sieve, drain off all the oil or water and press down with the back of a spoon.
3. Put the tuna, 8 to 10 Thai kaffir lime leaves cut into fine threads, 4 tablespoons red curry paste, the diced long beans, 5 to 7 tablespoons tapioca starch and 1 chicken egg in a bowl. Work it with your hands until smooth and even.
4. The mixture should be soft and slack like fresh pork paste, neither dry and stiff nor watery. Too dry and it needs another egg, too loose and it needs more fish or a little tapioca starch.
5. Heat the oil in a pan. Scoop the mixture into your palm, shape it and lower it into the pan, frying over medium high heat.
6. Once both sides are a deep golden red, lift them onto a plate lined with kitchen paper and serve with the sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Tips

• Too much tapioca starch makes the cakes rubbery, so measure it carefully.
• Vietnamese kaffir lime leaf works in place of Thai kaffir lime leaf, and the finer the shreds the stronger the aroma.
• Red curry paste is sold at Thai spice stalls and larger supermarkets, and it can also be made at home.
• Canned tuna is in every supermarket, and the version packed in water gives a lighter cake.
• Fry one small piece and taste it first, because once the whole batch is fried the seasoning can no longer be adjusted.