Chapter 4: Hong Kong (2009-2012)
They say time heals everything. Not true. Some pain never goes away. It simply becomes the background.
After my emergency stint back in Singapore, in summer 2009, I moved back to Hong Kong. This time for an MBA. I joined a local university in the hope to get a break, start my entrepreneurial journey, and somehow find myself. Of course, also to be with the boyfriend.
The MBA itself was fun, challenging and distracting. And Hong Kong is the perfect platform for it - it’s a fun, vibrant, outdoorsy city full of young life, adventure, culture and food! Although my pain was still raw, it somehow helped channel my energy towards a new venture, and slowly step towards a new normal. It was also around this time, I was first introduced to the future in-laws.
His family was the easy one. I didn’t have to really win them over, they already liked me, but I sure had to convince his grandmother that I could replicate her cooking! My father, on the other hand, needed some convincing. He would eventually come around, we thought. I still had a year of MBA, and I wasn’t in the headspace to play the coaxing game, so I decided to leave him be, and focus on the in-laws for now. I had much to learn there - even though he is Indian, the South African upbringing lent itself to a fused culture that was somewhat different to what I was familiar with.
My husband was his grandmothers’ favourite grandchild. No, it wasn’t a secret. All the grandchildren knew it. She was quite open about it as well, and the first time I met her, she was clear that only she best could cook his favourite dishes. Specially fishcakes. I can still remember the day - it was August 2009, we had traveled to London to meet with the future in-laws. And all through lunch, she sat opposite me, stared at my reflection in the mirror hanging opposite, and only said a few sentences - “Oh you drink?”, “Do you eat spicy food? and “You don’t like fishcakes?”. Oh dear, the rebel in me accepted the challenge. So started my adventure to decipher Indian South African cooking, and all the dishes he grew up with (much to his delight!). It was fascinating actually, as although Indian, I discovered their food was a slight blend of South Indian dishes with South African influence. Who wouldn’t want to learn that!
The next two years, between 2009 and 2010, I experimented with the in-law cuisine, and started this blog around the same time. I also quickly realised that my father was not going to be an easy one to get on our side, so I simply added his pushback to my background. Between an MBA, lots of cooking, and lingering pain, the year somehow flew by. At least it was a delicious one.
This recipe is a version of those famed in-law Fishcakes, that my husband lovingly grew up on. It was the first Indian South African dish I made, and now is a staple in our household.
Dare I say I like these more than the original, but don’t tell the grandmother that ;)
Ingredients
For the cakes
3 white fish filets (feel free to use any : tilapia, cod, hake etc)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large potato, boiled soft, cooled mashed
6-8 fresh green chilies, finely chopped (fewer if you want to turn down the heat)
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 eggs
2 tbsp bread crumbs + extra for coating
Salt to taste
Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Oil for frying
Method
Steam or boil your fish, drain any water, pat dry and cool. Once cooled, flake the fish with your fingers till its broken into fine pieces. Now add in the chilies, potato, onion, spices and coriander. Mix well (best to use your hands for this). Add in one egg, and 2 tbsp bread crumbs and continue to mix till the mixture is firm enough to roll. Roll into small rounds (makes about 20-25) and keep aside.
Create your coating station. Beat the second egg in a bowl, and in another bowl keep some breadcrumbs. Dip each fish cake in the egg, and then into breadcrumbs. Fry or shallow fry till golden brown on each side.
Serve hot. I’ve tried a variety of dips and sauces with these, and they taste great with just about anything!
