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.
