Nonya Seafood Recipes - Ikan Otak Otak are made from fresh mackerel meat pounded and marinated with
coconut milk, ground chilli, onions, lemongrass, blue ginger and turmeric.
This fragrant paste then wrapped in a fresh banana leaf — which brings its own subtle flavour
and ability to retain moisture and taste — and left to sizzle over hot charcoals, or cook gently in
a steamer.
Though otak otaks are traditionally made of fish meat, modern versions of otak otak use crab or
prawn meat and fish head too.
Ikan Otak Otak - Nonya Seafood Recipes Ingredients:
1 kg tenggiri (Spanish mackerel) or fish meat
2 coconuts, grated, for milk
300 millilitres water
¾ coconut, skinned and grated
5 stalks daun kesom, sliced fine
1 turmeric leaf, sliced fine
3 daun limau purut, sliced fine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons cornflour
20 pieces banana leaf, each 10 cm square
Ikan Otak Otak Rempah
8 candlenuts
4 large onions
15 dried chillies or
1 tablespoon chilli powder
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons belacan powder
1 tablespoon galingale powder
1 tablespoon lemon grass powder
Ikan Otak Otak Method Step by Step:
1. If using fresh tenggiri, fillet fish and cut into slices. If using fish
meat, shape into rectangular cakes 8 x 4 x 1 cm and soak in water. Prepared fish
meat sold in markets tend to be salty.
2. Knead grated coconut with water for milk and leave aside. In a dry pan, fry
skinned grated coconut until golden brown. Remove and pound till fine.
3. Mix rempah ingredients with coconut milk, sliced kesom, turmeric
and limau purut leaves, salt, sugar, beaten eggs and corn-flour. The
consistency should be like soft butter.
4. Scald banana leaves in hot water to make them pliable. Put 2 heaped tablespoons
of the mixture on each piece of banana leaf and make into parcels, securing by
folding over at either side (see diagram below). Grill in the oven or over hot
coals for 6 minutes, turning once.
