Recipe
Otak Otak
Enclosed in a coconut leaf or banana leaf wrapping, this mixture of minced fish, spices and thick coconut cream is slowly barbecued over glowing coals.
It is either eaten as a snack between meals or forms part of a nasi lemak meal (rice steamed with coconut milk) and eaten with a variety of seafood dishes.
Part of Singapore's Malay and Nonya heritage, otak otak can also be cooked in a baking tray in the oven.
Ingredients
- 650 grammes (one-and-a-half pound) whole Spanish mackerel
- 3 Tbs vegetable oil
- 2 coconuts, grated or one-and-a-half cups pure coconut cream from packets or cans
- One egg, lightly beaten
- One to one-and-a-half tsp salt
- 4 Tbs sugar
- 8 kaffir lime leaves
Spice Mix
- 4 candlenuts
- 20 dried chillies
- 40 grammes galangal or 3 tsp powdered galangal
- One thumb length fresh turmeric root or half to three-quarter tsp powdered turmeric
- One stalk lemon grass
- 2 square inches by quarter inch thick piece of shrimp paste (belacan)
- 10 shallots
- One Tbs toasted coriander seed powder
Instructions to Cook
- Fillet fish. Grind the meat finely in a food processor. Put into a large bowl.
- Wash candlenuts, cut off stalks of the dried chillies. Soak in warm water till softened for about 30 minutes. Remove and drain.
- Cut off the skin of the galangal and turmeric root and peel shallots. Trim lemon grass. Cut all the spices into pieces.
- Pound or grind the first 7 ingredients of the spice mix till fine.
- Add the shallots last as a binding agent. Add the coriander powder.
- Squeeze the grated coconut for cream. Strain cream. Or use one packet of coconut powder, adding enough water to make one cup. Or one-and-a-half cups processed coconut milk.
- Heat wok, add oil, then add spice paste. Stir fry 5 minutes till oil exudes and the mixture is fragrant.
- Add coconut milk, stir fry well till just under boiling point. Turn off heat, cool. Add egg and mix well.
- Remove central vein of the double-leafed kaffir lime leaf and slcie very finely.
- Mix the spices with the minced fish meat, salt and sugar.
- Add the kaffir lime leaves. Grease an 8-inch cake tin and put the fish mixture in. Smoothen the top with the back of a grease spoon. Bake in a bain marie (loaf tin) in a pre-heated oven at 150-175 degree Celcius (300-350 degree F) for 20-25 minutes till skewer comes out clean when it is put into the centre of the fish cake. Traditionally, the fish mixture is wrapped in banana leaves or coconut leaves and barbecued over glowing coals.
- Serve hot or cold as a snack or part of a meal with rice and other Nonya dishes.