Howdy ya’ll!
Today, I share with you my final side dish, the last piece of the jigsaw to the amazing dish of Nasi Lemak!
If Sambal Chili was the second most important component of Nasi Lemak, then by right, Otak-Otak aka Otah has to be the third most important component to an amazing meal of Nasi Lemak!
SO what is Otak-Otak?
Otak-Otak (or otah) is a blend of fish paste and spice paste, traditionally wrapped in banana leaves, and grilled over a charcoal fire until a smoky aroma emanates and it’s ready to be served either hot or cold. While there are different renditions of otak-otak, it is considered to be of Malay and Peranakan origins. In Singapore, we normally call it Otah and so I’ll be using this term instead.
Whenever I have my usual plate of Nasi Lemak, I usually order on top of rice; a sunny side-up, deep fried wings, sambal chili (of course!) and Otah! This is my go-to always and the Otah has to be around else I’ll be cranky and would rather eat something else instead and come back another time when there is Otah available.
With that said, this recipe I’m about to share with you is really really simple and gives you an amazingly good-tasting Otah with a great texture to boot!
5 Ingredients:
Fresh mackerel, red curry paste, coconut milk, cornstarch, and oil.
Using Cornstarch – It makes your Otah slightly firmer and gives it a little bounce. Do adjust the amount to your preference. If your fish paste is very wet after combining all the ingredients together, you can add slightly more cornstarch to hold the paste together. If your paste is relatively dry, you can also choose to omit the cornstarch.
Using Oil – Do add some to give your Otah some oiliness which is very much needed in the dish and adds to the overall juiciness of the end product after grilling.
*The big hack here would be the red curry paste as it saves you all the time needed to make the perfect blend of spice paste!
So without further ado, here’s the recipe and enjoy:)
Otak-Otak (Otah)
Yields: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 300 g Mackerel (skinned)
- 150 g Coconut milk
- 100 g Red curry paste (click to see recommended red curry paste)
- 1-2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 4-5 tbsp Oil
- Banana Leaves (for wrapping the Otah paste in – it gives a nice banana leaf charred fragrance to the Otah especially when you grill it.)
PREPARATION:
- Remove the skin and bones of the mackerel. Set meat aside.
- In a food processor, add 3/4 of mackerel, coconut milk, red curry paste, cornstarch, oil, and blend until well combined and smooth. Then, add the remaining 1/4 mackerel into the paste and hand-mixed it in well; this gives added texture to the Otah.
- Clean banana leaves and cut to an appropriate size. Place a few spoonfuls (depending on your desired thickness) of Otak-Otak paste onto the dull side of the banana leaves, then wrap and secure both ends with toothpicks.
COOKING METHODS:
Cooking Method 1: Grill the Otak-Otak (already in banana leaves) on a frypan over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, flipping occasionally. If you have a charcoal stove, that would be the best way to grill the Otah and produces the best-tasting Otah out of the 3 methods!
Cooking Method 2: Preheat oven to 200°C, and bake Otak-Otak for about 10-15 minutes.
Cooking Method 3: Bring a wok of water to a boil, and steam Otak-Otak for about 10 minutes. For this cooking method, no banana leaves are required and you could just place all the paste in a dish and steam it.
So there you go, and I hope you enjoyed this mini series on one of my personal favorite go-to breakfast meal to kickstart my day! Wewould love to know how this recipe fared with you, so do share with us your experiences cooking this dish!
That’s all for today and see you in the kitchen!
Cheers!
Glen
2 guys 1 cook 