---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.03

     Title: OTAK OTAK (FISH MOUSSE GRILLED ON A BANANA LE
Categories: Side dish, Appetizers, Ceideburg 2
     Yield: 24 servings

          Rempah (see below)
 1 1/2 lb White fish filets
     2 ts Salt
     1 tb Sugar
   1/2 ts White pepper
     1 lg Egg, lightly beaten
     4    Fresh or frozen Kaffir lime
          -leaves (daun limau perut) *
    24    6-inch squares of fresh or
          -frozen banana leaf or
          -aluminum foil
    24 md Shrimp (about 1/2 pound),
          -peeled and deveined

--------------------REMPAH (SPICE PASTE--------------------
     8    Dried red chiles
     2    Stalks fresh lemongrass or
     1 tb Lemongrass powder or
          Zest of 1/2 lemon
     2 qt Slices fresh galangal or
     1 qt Slice dried galangal,
          -soaked in warm water for
          -30 minutes
     6 cn Nuts (buah kera) or
          -macadamia nuts
     2    Shallots
     4    Cloves garlic
   1/2 ts Turmeric
   3/4 ts Ground coriander seeds
   1/2 ts Shrimp paste or anchovy
          -paste
     1 c  Thick coconut milk

  * if available; or substitute fresh citrus leaves
 These banana leaf packets filled with a spicy fish
 mousse make great grill-it-yourself barbecued
 appetizers.  The banana jackets make them wonderfully
 easy to hold in your hand as picnic food.  Or, if you
 prefer, the filling may be spread on toast points for
 a more formal presentation.
  Otak Otak comes in many variations throughout
 Southeast Asia. Each version contains a rempah, the
 Malay name for the hand-pounded seasoning pastes which
 are the bouquet garni of Southeast Asian cooking.  The
 traditional Singapore Nonya rempah includes chiles,
 garlic, shallots, lemongrass, turmeric, candle nuts,
 and shrimp paste, although other spices and herbs may
 be used to enhance a particular dish.  Like curry
 pastes, rempahs are traditionally pounded in a mortar.
 Although a hand- pounded paste is better, it is
 time-consuming and laborious for the average American
 cook. I recommend starting the paste in a spice mill
 and/or a mini-food processor, switching to a mortar
 for a final pounding to smooth out the rough edges.
  In Singapore, Otak Otak is usually made with a
 Spanish mackerel called tenggiri, but this recipe was
 developed with milder white-fleshed fish.
  1.  Prepare the Rempah.  [Recipe below.  S.C.] 2. Pat
 the fish dry and cut it into 2-inch pieces.  Put the
 fish in the work bowl of a food processor and chop
 into a fine paste.  Add the salt, sugar, white pepper,
 and egg and process until fully incorporated, about 5
 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir
 in the cooled rempah. Beat with a wooden spoon or mix
 with your hands until smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove
 the spines from the lime leaves and cut the leaves
 into very fine shreds. Fold them into the fish mixture.
  3.  For each packet, dip a square of banana leaf into
 boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes; pat dry.  Spread 2
 to 3 tablespoons of the fish mixture down the middle
 of the leaf to within 1 inch of the ends. Place a
 shrimp in the middle of the fish mousse and pat it
 into the filling to lie flat. Fold the long edges over
 the filling (they should overlap in the center) to
 make a flat long packet.  Press down lightly to
 flatten the packet a bit; press the ends shut and seal
 with toothpicks.  (Packets may be prepared to this
 point up to 2 hours ahead of time and refrigerated.)
 4. Place the banana leaf packets on a grill 3 to 4
 inches over a medium-hot fire and cook for 3 minutes
 per side (open one to test for doneness before
 serving). Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
  Makes 24 packets.
  VAR1AT1ON:  Otak Otak can also be steamed.  Put the
 fish packets on a steaming tray in a wok filled with
 boiling water and steam over medium- high heat for 5
 minutes.
  REMPAH:  (Spice Paste) 1 . Cut the chiles just below
 the stem. Shake the chiles to loosen the seeds.
 Discard the stem and seeds. Put the chiles into a bowl
 and cover them with warm water; soak for 15 minutes (1
 hour is better, if you have the time).
  2.  Cut off and discard the root from the lemongrass.
 Re move the tough outer leaves until you see a light
 purple ring.  Use only the tender white mid-section;
 chop coarsely.
  3.  With the motor running, drop the lemongrass down
 the feed tube of a mini-processor; chop as fine as
 possible.  Add the galangal; chop as fine as possible.
 Add the chiles and chop as fine as possible.  Add the
 candle nuts, shallots, garlic, turmeric, ground
 coriander, and shrimp paste and process together into
 a paste (this may take 2 to 3 minutes); scrape down
 the sides of the work bowl as necessary.
  4.  Heat 1/4 cup thick coconut milk in a saucepan
 over medium-high heat; stir continuously until thick
 and oily.  Add the contents of the processor and cook
 gently until the mixture is fragrant and oily, about 5
 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk and bring to a
 boil, stirring constantly; cook until incorporated.
 Let cool before adding to the fish mixture. The rempah
 can be made a few hours ahead of time. From "Asian
 Appetizers" by Joyce Jue, Harlow and Ratner, 1991.
 ISBN 0-9627345-1-9. Posted by Stephen Ceideberg;
 December 8 1992.

-----