Full of fragrant Thai-inspired ginger, lemongrass and coriander flavours, these spicy 'fish' cakes get their flaky texture from the shredded jackfruit and are best served alongside a sweet chilli dip or paired with a refreshing, veg-packed vermicelli noodle salad...
SERVES: 2 PEOPLE | PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES | COOKS IN: 20 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE SPICY THAI INSPIRED 'FISH' CAKES
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 red chillis, finely minced
1 thumb of ginger, minced
2 lemongrass stalks, finely minced or 1 tbsp lemongrass puree
1/2 nori sheet, cut into small flakes
1 tbsp garlic puree
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp tamari
Zest & juice of 1/2 lime
Handful of coriander, finely chopped
Handful of mint, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can jackfruit, drained & squeezed through tea towel
1/4 cup rice or plain flour
FOR THE NOODLE SALAD
2 vermicelli noodle nests
1/2 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1/3 cucumber, cut into thin strips
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
Handful fresh coriander
Handful fresh mint
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp tamari
Juice 1/2 lime
METHOD
1. To make the Jackfruit 'Fish' Cakes, first add the spring onions to the small bowl of a food processor, followed by the fresh mint and coriander, chillis, ginger, nori sheet, lemongrass, garlic puree, tomato puree, tamari, lime zest and juice, sea salt and black pepper, and blend until it forms a kind of paste.
2. To the main bowl of the food processor, add the drained chickpeas and rice flour, and blend that together for around a minute until well combined. Drain off as much water from the can of jackfruit as possible, then empty the contents out into a clean tea towel, remove the seeds, wrap it all up and squeeze out the remaining excess water through the tea towel. Add the drained jackfruit into the chickpea mixture, along with the Thai-inspired paste and only pulse together a couple of times to help it combine.
3. Take a heaped tablespoon of the mixture at a time and form it into little patties using your hands - wetting your hands with a little water in between forming each patty makes things a little bit easier - and repeat until all of the mixture has been used up, it should create 12 'fish' cakes in total. Place those on a large plate and set in the fridge to chill.
4. Meanwhile, make the noodle salad to go by placing the dry vermicelli noodles in a bowl, cover with boiling water and allow to sit for 3 minutes. Drain and give them a good rinse through, then add in the thinly sliced red pepper cucumber, fresh mint and coriander, sesame oil, tamari and lime juice. Toss it together well and place in the fridge to keep chilled while frying the 'fish' cakes.
5. Heat a little oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Remove the 'fish' cakes from the fridge and place them in the pan in batches of 3-4. Fry them off on one side for around 5 minutes or until they develop a little colour, then turn them over to cook on the other side. To give them a little more colour, mix together a little oil with some tomato puree and brush it over the top of each one. Once cooked, place on an old, but clean tea towel to absorb any excess oil.
6. Serve the Spicy Thai-Inspired Jackfruit 'Fish' Cakes with the noodle salad and a wedge of lime on the side.
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