Tod man pla

Tod man pla is a Thai fried fish cake made from pounded or minced fish mixed with red curry paste, fine-sliced long beans and kaffir lime leaf. It is one of the most common snacks and starters in Thai restaurants and street stalls.

What it really is

Tod man pla is made by pounding or processing white fish flesh, often with a little fish sauce, egg and red curry paste, then binding it with a small amount of flour or starch. Thin shreds of kaffir lime leaf and long beans are folded in, and the mixture is shaped into flat rounds and deep-fried until the outside is crisp and the inside stays moist and springy. The dish is usually served with a sweet and sour cucumber relish with crushed peanuts, known as nam chim tod man pla.

It is related to other Thai fried fish preparations, but it is distinct from look chin pla, which is a firmer, smooth fish ball, and from fried fish fillets. The defining features of tod man pla are the red curry paste in the mixture and the bean and lime leaf in the cake itself. Versions vary in the fish used and in how finely the mixture is pounded.

How it's served

• Served hot as a snack or starter, usually cut into bite-sized pieces or left as whole rounds.
• Eaten with a sweet and sour cucumber relish with crushed roasted peanuts, often with a little chilli.
• Commonly shared among several people as part of a larger Thai meal.
• Eaten with the fingers or with a fork and spoon, the cakes are not dipped into rice.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the fish (for example white fish such as snapper or threadfin) and state red curry paste, long beans and kaffir lime leaf in the cake.
• Flag allergens: contains fish and egg, and peanuts in the cucumber relish; wheat if flour is used as a binder.
• State the dipping sauce served, for example cucumber relish with peanuts, and whether it is served with chilli sauce.