An easy help-yourself starter with the zest and spice of ginger and chilli
Prep:25 mins
Serves 4
75g French beans, finely sliced200g fresh white crabmeat1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped1 garlic clove, crushed4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped1 tbsp freshly grated gingergrated zest 1 lime1 tbsp chopped coriander75g fresh white breadcrumbs1 tbsp mayonnaise1 egg, beatensunflower oil, for frying
STEP 1To make the dipping sauce, blend the garlic, chillies, ginger, lime leaves, lemongrass and coriander in a food processor until very finely chopped. Tip the sugar into a small saucepan, add 3 tbsp water and heat gently to dissolve. Continue to cook for another min or so until the syrup starts to thicken slightly.STEP 2Add the chilli and ginger mixture, and continue to cook for a further 2-3 mins. Then stir in the rice vinegar, fish sauce and soy sauce. Remove from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature.STEP 3Cook the beans in a small pan of boiling salted water for 1-2 mins until tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water, then leave to dry on kitchen paper. Mix the crab with the cooked beans and all the remaining ingredients, apart from the sunflower oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and shape into 8 small patties.STEP 4Heat 1-2 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan and cook 4 crab cakes at a time until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and keep warm while you cook the remainder. Serve with the sweet chilli dipping sauce.
