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Otak-otak
Otak-otak — spiced fish mousse wrapped in leaves and grilled over coals
Drive through Muar in Johor and you will see roadside grills stacked with slim green parcels, sold by the dozen in paper bags for the journey home. Inside each is a soft, bright-orange custard of pounded mackerel, coconut milk and egg, flavoured with a chilli-lemongrass rempah and kaffir lime leaf, which turns smoky and slightly charred at the edges from the grill. Melaka's Nyonya cooks make a fatter, steamed version, but this one is grilled in banana leaf. Eat it warm, peeled straight out of the leaf, with white bread, rice or nasi lemak. Chef's tip: chill the fish mixture for 15 minutes before wrapping; it firms up and is far easier to spoon onto the leaves.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the rempah
For the fish mixture
For wrapping
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Blend 10 dried red chillies, 6 shallots, 2 cloves garlic, 2 stalks lemongrass, ½ oz galangal, ⅓ oz fresh turmeric, 3 candlenuts and 1 tsp shrimp paste (belacan) to a smooth paste.
Step 2: Fry the paste in 2 tbsp vegetable oil over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes until dark and fragrant and the oil separates. Spread on a plate to cool completely.
8 minStep 3: Cut the 1 ⅛ lb Spanish mackerel or other firm white fish fillet into chunks and pulse in a food processor with 1 tsp salt for about 30 seconds until a sticky paste forms. Keep it cold; warm fish turns grainy.
1 minStep 4: Add the cooled rempah, ¾ cup thick coconut milk, 1 egg, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp tapioca starch and 4 kaffir lime leaves, and pulse briefly until you have a thick, smooth, orange mousse. Chill for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 5: Pass the 2 banana leaves briefly over a flame or dip in hot water so they turn soft and bendable. Spoon 2 heaped tablespoons of mixture along the middle of each piece in a flat strip.
Step 6: Fold the long sides over to make a flat parcel about 2 cm thick and pin each open end with 32 cocktail sticks or toothpicks. Avoid making them thick and chunky: a slim parcel cooks through before the leaf burns.
Step 7: Grill over medium-hot coals or in a dry ridged grill pan over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes per side, until the leaves are charred in places and the parcel feels firm when pressed.
10 minStep 8: Open one to check: the custard should be set all the way through with no wet centre, and reach 160°F (160 °F) because of the egg. Serve warm in their leaves.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does otak-otak take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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