Tod Mun
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Tod Mun is eaten as a snack or appetizer in Thailand. But as with most appetizers, Tod Mun can be eaten with rice as a main course.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
3 kaffir lime leaves
1/4 pound green beans
3/4 pound fish paste
1 egg
1 tablespoon Red Curry PasteStack all the kaffir lime leaves and roll them tightly. Slice the roll of leaves into very thin strips. Slice green beans into cross-sectional pieces, 1/8-inch thick.
Mix all the ingredients, except the kaffir lime leaves and green beans, in a bowl. Stir until the mixture becomes a paste with smooth and shiny consistency again. For some fish pastes, it takes 3 minutes to get the smooth texture. For other fish pastes, you may want to use a mixer on low speed because you will be churning it for 1/2 hour by hand. There's no way I've found to make sure that the fish paste is good before working with it. Then, add kaffir lime leaves and green beans and stir again to mix them in.
In a flat-bottomed pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Test the temperature by dropping a smaller piece of fish paste into it. When the oil is ready, the mixture should puff around the edge.
Once the oil is hot enough, drop a tablespoon in the pan. When the down side has cooked, use a spatula to loosen the tod mun, then flip the uncooked side down and push it down with the spatula to make it flat like a pancake. Flip again to get both sides brown. Drain or pat dry with paper towels to remove the oil. Serve hot with the sauce below.
TOD MUN SAUCE
5 tablespoons vinegar
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground fresh chili paste
1/2 cucumber, quartered and thinly sliced
1 to 2 tablespoons cashews*, toasted, crushed into small piecesCombine vinegar, sugar and red pepper sauce together in a small bowl. Heat in microwave until all ingredients mix well, about 1 minute. Add the sliced cucumber and mix well.
Toast cashew nuts in a pan. Then crush cashew nuts into small pieces. Top it on the sauce. Refrigerate the sauce until Tod Mun is ready.
Makes 4 servings
NOTE - As always with Thai food, add a little more of red pepper sauce if you like it hot. Or add a little more sugar if you like it sweet. Tasting is the key.
In Thailand, peanuts are used in this recipe. But, I prefer cashews - it's your choice