By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up michael@yahoo.ca
Thai Crab Cakes (or Burgers)
Attention food lovers and ‘foodies’, one of the real joys of traveling throughout South East Asia is the chance to visit and immerse your senses in their amazing fresh food markets found in every town and small village. One of the most awesome sights at these magnificent and sometimes floating food emporiums, is the impressive display of fresh fish and seafood put out for sale. Frozen or ‘previously thawed’ is out of the question, the items on display are definitely fresh and in some cases still swimming in their salt water tanks. You can, in many instances, choose some fresh shrimp and have them cooked up for lunch at one of the food stalls right there in the market.
This week’s recipe for crab cakes can easily be tucked inside a toasted sesame seed bun and served as a burger for a more casual approach….Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 8 oz. (240 g.) drained frozen crabmeat
- 3 green onions, finely sliced
- 3 kaffir lime leaves, snipped into slivers with scissors (discard stems)
- 1 fresh red chili, minced
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
- 2-3 eggs
- 2 tsp. mayonnaise
- chopped cilantro
- 1+3/4 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
- 1 cup oil for frying
- To serve: Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
Preparation
- Place crabmeat, onions, lime leaf slivers, chili, fish sauce, oyster sauce, 1 egg, mayonnaise and 3/4 cup panko together in a food processor or chopper. Blitz to combine ingredients.
- Add up to 1/4 cup more panko and briefly blitz or stir to combine. You want the mixture to be moist enough to form cakes, but not so moist that it falls apart. Add more panko until you can form cakes easily in your hands.
- Pat mixture into cakes Place on a clean plate.
- Now pour 3/4 cup panko into a mixing bowl and add the garlic salt, stirring to mix. In a separate, smaller bowl, break 2 eggs and briefly whisk.
- Dip the crab cakes first into the egg, then roll in the panko mixture to cover. Set on a clean surface.
- Pour oil into a small frying pan or wok set over medium-high heat (oil should be 1 inch deep). Heat for 1 minute or longer. To test if oil is hot enough, drop in a few panko crumbs – if they begin to sizzle right away, the hot is ready. Carefully place crab cakes in the hot oil. Reduce heat slightly to prevent overheating and splattering. Fry crab cakes 1-2 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
- Serve with Thai sweet chili sauce
Asian Coleslaw Recipe with Spicy Soy Sesame Dressing
Ingredients
3-4 cups coleslaw (carrots, green and red cabbage)
1 cup precooked edamame frozen and thawed
1 1/2 cups water (to boil the edamame)
2 small radish, thinly sliced
Spicy Soy Sesame Dressing
Slivered almonds
Toasted sesame seeds
Shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7-spice blend)
Spicy Soy Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup light soy sauce
3tbsp palm sugar
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
1-2 tablespoons shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7-spice blend
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Lightly blanch the precooked shelled soybeans for a quick 1 minute when the water starts to shimmer. Dish out, drain, dry and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Make the Spicy Soy Sesame Dressing. Adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix all the vegetables well. Lightly spoon generous amount of Spicy Soy Sesame Dressing over it, stir well, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. Just before serving, add extra dressings, toasted sesame seeds, almonds and chili flakes to taste.
