Spain and Thailand each have a small, hand-shaped fried starter that people order to share. In Spain it is croquetas. In Thailand one of the best known is tod man pla, the red-curry fish cake. They look like cousins on the plate, but they are built in opposite ways, and knowing how each one is made tells you what a good one should taste like.
Croquetas: a crisp shell around a soft centre
A Spanish croqueta starts as a very thick béchamel: flour cooked in butter or olive oil, then milk worked in slowly until the mixture is stiff enough to hold a shape once cold. Flavour goes into the béchamel itself. Jamón is the classic, followed by chicken, salt cod (bacalao), mushrooms and many others. The mixture is chilled, shaped into small logs or balls, rolled in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs, and deep-fried.
The result is all about contrast. The breadcrumb shell should be thin and crisp, and the inside soft and creamy. Textures vary from kitchen to kitchen, and some cooks make a firmer filling. Croquetas are traditionally a way to use up leftovers, such as the meat from a stew, and they are a standard item at tapas bars. Our croquetas page covers the main fillings, and our earlier piece on croquetas as a kitchen test explains why many people judge a whole kitchen by them.
Tod man pla: springy, spicy, no coating
Tod man pla works the other way round. There is no sauce inside and usually no coating outside. White fish is pounded or minced to a paste with red curry paste, fish sauce and often egg, then mixed with thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves and chopped long beans. The paste is kneaded, and often thrown against the bowl, until it turns elastic. Small flat patties are then deep-fried.
A good tod man pla is bouncy, almost chewy, with green flecks of lime leaf and bits of bean in every bite. It is often served with ajad, a sweet and sour relish of cucumber, shallot and chilli in a vinegar and sugar syrup, often topped with crushed peanuts. The relish cuts the oil the same way a squeeze of lemon would.
Where they meet: tod man kung
If you compare coatings, the Thai dish that looks most like a croqueta is tod man kung, the shrimp cake. Unlike the fish version, it is usually coated in breadcrumbs before frying, so it arrives with a golden, crumbed outside like a croqueta's. Inside, though, it is still a dense, springy shrimp paste, not a creamy béchamel. It is normally served with a sweet plum or sweet chilli sauce.
How to judge each one
The two dishes fail in different ways, which makes them easy to judge once you know what to look for.
For croquetas:
- The shell should be thin and crisp, not thick and hard.
- Look for a creamy inside. Some kitchens make them firmer, but a dry or floury filling is usually a disappointment.
- They should not be greasy, and they should not have burst in the fryer.
- The filling should taste of what it claims: a jamón croqueta should taste of ham.
For tod man pla:
- It should spring back when you bite it. A soft or crumbly texture is not what you want.
- You should see and taste the lime leaf and beans.
- It usually comes with ajad, though serving styles vary. If it is offered, eat the two together; the relish is part of the dish.
Where to try croquetas in Thailand
If you live in Thailand and want to try the Spanish side of this comparison, these venues name croquetas in their own listings on our site:
- Vaso, Bangkok: an upmarket tapas bar at Velaa Sindhorn Village on Lang Suan Road, whose regularly changing menu includes Joselito ibérico croquetas.
- La Malifeta Vermuteria, Bangkok: a 25-seat Barcelona-style vermouth bar on Song Wat whose signature dishes include croquetas.
- Taburete, Bangkok: a Sala Daeng tapas room run by chef-owner Kannika Kongkaew, who spent ten years cooking in Spain; croquetas are on the menu with paella and Iberian cured meats.
- Little Spain, Hua Hin: a beachside restaurant whose tapas classics include croquetas, alongside Padrón peppers and garlic prawns.
Outside Thailand, salt cod croquetas appear in the listings for Morito in London and Txikito in New York.
Tod man pla is a common dish in Thailand, sold at market stalls as well as on restaurant menus, so the Thai side of the comparison is never far away.
