"Otak", sometimes called "otak-otak", is a fish cake found throughout Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. In Singapore, we kind of associate otak with nasi lemak or katong laksa. We have tried many versions of the otak, and in our opinion, the best is still the otak from Muar, a town in southern Malaysia. Unlike the Singapore version (which is mashed, wrapped in banana or coconut leaves), the Muar version has chuncky slices of fish, or prawns/squid and steamed, instead of grilled.
internet photo
As I was rumaging through the freezer one day, I came across some frozen fish and prawns. So, I thought it would be a good idea to make "otak" with them since we were also trying to run down our stock of curry powder and chilies.
Here is the recipe from an old newspaper cutting:
Ingredients A - Fried rempah
120 g shallots, 2 sliced galangal, 5 slices of tumeric, 6 buah keras, 2 lemongrass stalks, 1 small piece of belachan, 32 g dried chili (boiled briefly and leave to cool), 8 fresh chilies & 8 tbs oil for frying. Blend all the ingredients. Heat oil in a wok and fry ground ingredients over low heat until oil exudes. Leave to cool. (If you don't have the time, try using one of the those readily available rempah sauce, eg. Brahmin, which you can buy from the supermarket).
Ingredients A - Fried rempah
120 g shallots, 2 sliced galangal, 5 slices of tumeric, 6 buah keras, 2 lemongrass stalks, 1 small piece of belachan, 32 g dried chili (boiled briefly and leave to cool), 8 fresh chilies & 8 tbs oil for frying. Blend all the ingredients. Heat oil in a wok and fry ground ingredients over low heat until oil exudes. Leave to cool. (If you don't have the time, try using one of the those readily available rempah sauce, eg. Brahmin, which you can buy from the supermarket).
Ingredients B - Fish (& prawns)
500 g fish meat (horse mackerel or bei kah, pound or blend 2/3 of it, and slice remaining 1/3 for more bite). You could also add some prawns, which we did.
Ingredients C - mix otak paste
200 ml coconut milk, 1 tbs sugar, 2 eggs, 2 limau purut leaves (finely diced), 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tbs cornflour. Add to ingredients A and B and mix well.
Method:
1. Scoop 2 tbs of otak paste onto a banana leaf, fold leaf and secure with toothpicks.
2. Grill for 10 to 12 minutes at about 200*C, till otak is cooked.
internet photo
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In our case, we didn't wrap the otak in banana leaves, as they are not readily available here. Instead, we spread the otak paste over a flat pan. Steam using the microwave. Cut into pieces and eat with bread.
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The final product
Ratings: **
