Malaysian Fish Cakes (Lempeng Tuna)
Only have 30 minutes for lunch? Let's make a 10 minutes easy Malaysian fish cakes known as lempeng tuna. Expect a flaky, aromatic, and flavoursome patty that is also high in protein.
Fish is an integral part of many Malaysian dishes, but here at Mak Tok, we’ve created our own method of using tuna, a common ingredient in the country’s cuisine, which involves a different kind of fish cake. Most of them are made with mackerel or sea bass, but here at Mak Tok we love to use a delicious blend of tuna and our own Rendang chilli paste to give them a fiery kick.
With summer coming up, the temptation to hit the beach or even head to the garden and fire up the barbecue is going to reach a fever pitch - on top of that, now that lockdown has come to an end, there’s never been a better time to invite friends over, and have a delicious, Malaysian-style dinner party, and lempeng fish cakes are an integral part of the meal. During the hot Malaysian summers, it’s common to make a huge plate, and leave them in the centre of the patio table so guests can enjoy them al fresco. To make it a bit more adventurous, try serving it with Pisang (bananas), for a delicious sweet and spicy flavour.
As some of you may have seen, our founder Will took his plate and cutlery to enjoy his Lempeng tuna with some fresh chilli on the beach this summer as part of our summer campaign. This brought back memories to his childhood, where he would always have this dish with his family on the beaches of Malaysia after his Grandma would cook a batch for the family. Mak Tok's recipe is the same one Will's Grandma use to cook up, I’m sure she will happy many more of you can enjoy these flavours.
But the best thing about this recipe? It’s so simple to make - all you need is the ingredients, a frying pan, and fifteen to thirty minutes to make a batch big enough to feed an army for the night. And to add an extra level of flavour to the fish cakes, you can always pair them with a delicious sauce - we recommend Mak Tok’s mango chilli sauce, which will give the fish cakes a delicious mango aftertaste.
Lempeng tuna is like fish cakes, just Malaysian. In the UK fish cakes are a very popular dish so we’re sure you will love this dish. The flavours you get are a savoury meatiness from the tuna that partners perfectly with the aromatic flavours of lemongrass, ginger and kaffir lime leaves coming through from our Rendang paste.
Have you tried our fish cake recipe? Let us know what you think of it on your favourite social media site, and follow us for more top-tier Malaysian-style recipes created especially for the Mak Tok family - we love to hear from you. After all, that’s what family is for.
