“Thai fish cakes are famous around the world – and rightfully so, as their intriguingly bouncy texture and delicious flavour, with red curry paste running through the fish mixture, make them a delight to eat at any time of the day. I like to serve them as a snack or precursor to a meal with traditional sweet pickled cucumber, shallots and chillies. Fish cakes also make a wonderful light lunch served with a few coils of kanom jim rice vermicelli noodles and sprigs of Thai basil. If you don’t have time to make the red curry paste, use a quality shop-bought paste instead.”
I WAS BORN IN LIVERPOOL to a Thai father and an English mother. I’ve always loved visiting my family and friends in Bangkok. I have fond memories of eating my grandmother’s cooking at the family house surrounded by my cousins, aunts and uncles. Everyone would chat away while plate after plate of amazing food was brought out to the table… Very often, I would know nothing about the dishes I was spooning into my mouth or what all the different ingredients were dancing across my tongue. I loved the mysterious nature of it all: exotic flavours that felt like the dial was turned up to eleven…
I hope this book helps you to approach Thai cooking with a different mindset, giving you the confidence to try cooking new recipes with unconventional ingredients and flavours. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; in fact, I encourage you to make them, learn from them and ultimately grow from them. I know I’ve made my fair share of errors on my journey with Thai cuisine, and I’d argue I’m all the better for it. Cooking should be fun and it’s something that can give you happiness on so many levels.
This is an edited extract from Kin Thai by John Chantarasak, published Hardie Grant Books, $45.
@englishhippy
