Prepare the ingredients: First, wash and chop the herbs and vegetables. Roughly chop the fresh parsley and slice the green onions. Finely chop the red chili and thinly cut the kefir lime leaf. The fish must be thawed, rinsed in running water, and patted dry with a kitchen towel.
Grind the Nile perch: Cut the white fish into smaller pieces if it is too large to grind. Grind the fish until all the meat has been shredded.
Add the condiments: Kefir lime leaf, red chili, red curry paste, Tom yum goong paste or shrimp paste, egg, fish sauce, oyster sauce, garlic powder, ginger powder, and rice flour — to the grinder. Grind until the color of the fish cake becomes uniform.
Add the herbs: Transfer the fish cake mix to a large mixing bowl, and add spring onions and parsley, and thoroughly mix all the ingredients. Then, use your hand to roll the fish cake into a ball. Each fish cake should weigh about 35g (1.2oz). If you are unsure about the weight, make all the fish cakes roughly the same size. Thereafter, gently flatten all the fish cakes for better frying.
Fry the fish cake: Preheat a pan on medium-low heat. Add cooking oil and place the fish cakes in the pan. Fry each side for 4 minutes, then fry for another 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Cover the pan with a lid or foil to prevent oil splattering and cook the fish cake faster.
Make the Dipping Sauce
Prepare a small bowl for dipping sauce. In the bowl, add lime juice, rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, and sesame seed oil, and stir to mix.
Serve while hot and enjoy the healthy and delicious fish cake with dipping sauce.
Notes
What is Nile Perch Fish?
Nile perch is high in protein and rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which support the health of the heart and brain, boost the immune system, and also help with weight loss by promoting fullness. The texture of Nile perch is firm, making it ideal for making fish cakes that hold their shape.