Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnHB
Otak Otak & a bucket of beer.
John
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We make the Otak Otak every Christmas as one of the starters. We get the kids to do the wrapping & BBQing. It is the most popular dish (even though I serve turkey, hot smoked salmon, gravlax etc). My recipe is below (sorry it is in metric):
Southeast Asian Otak Otak
(Smaller quantity)
(Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia)
375g white fish
375g peeled green prawns
250ml thick coconut cream
2 small red onions
4 cloves garlic
25ml fish sauce
12g shrimp paste
12g palm sugar
12g ground coriander seeds
8 g turmeric powder
20 candlenuts (or macadamia nuts), freshly roasted and pulverised
fresh red chilli to taste
galangal (thai ginger)
lemongrass
lime peel
Pieces of fresh banana leaf about 12cm by 25cm (soaked in hot water or place on hot BBQ to soften)
Take all the ingredients and mix in a blender, or pound to a paste in a mortar and pestle. Spread a good tablespoonful of the paste lengthwise in the centre one-third of a piece of banana leaf, leaving a space all around. Fold the sides over. Encase this again in another leaf folded similarly (a singly-wrapped one will burn and insides will stick to the outsides). Staple the ends or attach with toothpicks. Barbeque over coals for about ten minutes. The outside layer can blacken in parts, it only adds to flavour and presentation.
Substitutions: This can be made with fish or with crab (all quite authentic), and if you have some form of Thai curry paste (red may be best. You can also add an egg if you think that the mixture is not thick enough.
John
