Otah Otah is the kind of food that I can eat loads of. Though for a few years now whenever I think of it the image of my late aunt buying them for me at that famous Lee Wee Brothers Otah shop in Hougang would spring to mind and make me feel sad. But I made it today to celebrate a happy occasion - Singapore's 42nd National Day!
I had a new acquisition lately. A simple Kenwood Multi Pro Compact food processor. Gave me the desire to mix something. So here goes the Otah Otah :
Marinate the fish
600g Fish Filet (e.g. Cod, Meluza, Mackerel...)
2 Tsp Ground Turmeric
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Ground Coriander Seeds
2 Tbsp Ground Lemongrass (I didn't have the fresh ones now)
2 Tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Corn flour
1 Tbsp Rice Flour
2 Eggs
Ground Paprika
Chilli Powder
Salt and Pepper
Lime juice
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Tsp Fennel Seeds
Mix or pound the spices
1 piece Ginger
1 piece Galangal
3 cloves Garlic
3 Shallots
Kaffir Lime Leaves
Coriander Leaves
Fresh and/or dried chillis (I used fresh Creole Chilli reputed to be very very hot)
Half an Ikan Bilis stock cube
200ml Coconut Milk
You have to decide what kind of texture you want for your Otah. If you prefer less moussy, use the fish in small slices. If you want to make things simple and die die use the mixer like me, you mix it into a rough paste. Then add in the spice paste and the coconut milk and mix (e.g. stir with a pair of chopsticks) everything properly and evenly. The ones we usually buy are often more compact and tougher as they would contain less fish and more flour.
I didn't have banana leaves, no BBQ pit (yet) and the oven's not working. Was tempted to do it the Thai way (i.e. steaming) or the Vietnamese way (i.e. fried) and then I remembered that my microwave oven has a grill function so I spread the paste in aluminium foil (leaving the top part slightly ajar) and grilled them. Didn't have soft rolls so ate them with rice.
Verdict : Yummy, very hot (and I only used ONE Créole chili) and the fennel and mustard seeds added a nice touch of texture. Can only be better wrapped in banana leaves and grilled on a BBQ pit. Majullah Singapura!
Fried Otah Fish Cakes with Garlic Fish Dipping SauceAnother way of cooking it : by frying. And served with a Vietnamese garlic fish dipping sauce.
I loved otak but something that annoyed me when I bought it from food centres was that often the otak had a burnt aftertaste, from being overcooked. Any way to avoid this? Is this natural?
RépondreSupprimerOh wow, you have a good food blog here... and you're all the way in Italy. ;) Am from Malaysia by the way, love your recipes.
RépondreSupprimerAh Di ah, people usually look forward to the chaoda (burnt) charcoal taste in Otah, but of course you have to be different :-). Then just do it like me (no choice though), grill in oven and watch out for the cuisson.
RépondreSupprimerCalvin's wife, thanks for dropping by! You're in food paradise so no need to slave over stove like poor deprived folks over here. Keeping food blog to whine about it, as you can see :-).
BTW, you look really like my pretty US Chinese girl friend who's now married to my Beijing Chinese guy friend in Paris. You wouldn't happen to be a Lee like us, would you?
Sounds like a tasty treat! I might give this one a go sometime when i can get the fresh galangal and kaffir lime leaves. :)
RépondreSupprimerThanks for visiting my blog.
I love otak and I like to eat it with bread. I also like ice cream with bread, wifey finds it weird that I eat them with bread though :)
RépondreSupprimerHeh. But shouldn't be that strange because got ice cream sellers in Orchard who sell their ice cream with bread, right?
RépondreSupprimerI love otah with bread too. Ditto for ice cream (I always take red bean and chocolate ice cream with the roti). Over here in Italy they sell gelato with Foccacia bread, but not as cheap as the ice cream ah pek in Orchard Rd.
RépondreSupprimerMae, you have a beautiful blog, real feast for the eyes (and surely the palate too)!