Thai
Thai Fish Cakes (Tod Mun Pla)
Bouncy red-curry fish cakes with long beans and lime leaf, crisped in the air fryer — a 25-minute Thai snack or main.
About this recipe
Thai Fish Cakes (Tod Mun Pla) is a thai lunch for 2 that leans on the air fryer to do the work while you tidy up. It’s built around fish and egg, and it takes about 25 min total but only ~15 min of hands-on work — the rest is waiting. We sized it for a small household and ranked it on OneToCook by how much of it you already have in the fridge.
Good to know
* Dietary flags are derived from the listed ingredients — always check labels and your own needs for allergens.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp sugar
- 300g white fish fillet buy
- 2 tbsp red curry paste buy
- 3, chopped long beans buy
- 3 kaffir lime leaves buy
Equipment
Method
- 1
Finely chop and mash the fish with curry paste, egg, fish sauce, sugar and cornstarch into a sticky paste.
~6 min
- 2
Mix in the chopped long beans and shredded lime leaves; shape into small patties.
~4 min
- 3
Air-fry at 190C until golden and firm, 12–14 min, turning once.
~13 min
Smart swaps
Out of something? Try one of these.
- Curry paste
- curry powder bloomed in oil — start with half the amount and taste up.
- Lime
- lemon, or a splash of rice vinegar for the acidity.
- Fish sauce
- light soy sauce with a tiny pinch of salt — less funk, still savoury (also the vegetarian swap).
Cook's notes
- Roll the lime firmly on the bench before juicing — you’ll get noticeably more juice out of it. How to juice a lime →
- Do your chopping first (mise en place). With everything prepped, the actual cooking here is only about 15 min.
Storage & leftovers
Crispy bits soften in the fridge. Keep leftovers airtight for up to 2 days and re-crisp in the air fryer or a hot dry pan rather than the microwave.
Frequently asked
How long does Thai Fish Cakes (Tod Mun Pla) take to make? +
About 25 min from start to finish, but only roughly 15 min of that is hands-on — the rest is cooking or resting time.
How many people does this recipe serve? +
As written it serves 2. To cook for 4, roughly multiply the ingredients — but cook in batches if the pan gets crowded, so things sear instead of steaming.
What equipment do I need? +
You’ll want: air fryer. OneToCook only suggests recipes that fit the equipment you tell it you have, so you can filter these out if your kitchen is more minimal.
What can I use if I'm missing an ingredient? +
Common swaps for this dish: Curry paste → curry powder bloomed in oil — start with half the amount and taste up; Lime → lemon, or a splash of rice vinegar for the acidity; Fish sauce → light soy sauce with a tiny pinch of salt — less funk, still savoury (also the vegetarian swap). See the full list of smart swaps above.
Can I make Thai Fish Cakes (Tod Mun Pla) ahead of time? +
Crispy bits soften in the fridge. Keep leftovers airtight for up to 2 days and re-crisp in the air fryer or a hot dry pan rather than the microwave.
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