Name: Malaysian Grilled Fish Mousse (Otak-Otak)
Yield: Makes 12 Pieces; Serves 4 as a Light Main Course; 6 to 12 as an Appetizer
Cuisine: Singapore
Ingredients: 1½ pounds skinless Spanish mackerel fillets, or fillets of halibut, bluefish, salmon, or other fish, cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca powder; 12 rectangular pieces of banana leaf, each about 8 × 12 inches (see Note); 1 tablespoon light brown sugar; ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk; 2 egg whites; 6 macadamia nuts or candlenuts; 1 piece (1 inch) fresh galangal, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 tablespoon), or 1 more tablespoon coarsely chopped ginger (see Notes); 2 teaspoons turmeric powder, or 1 piece (1 inch) fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped; 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and coarsely chopped; 1 piece (1 inch) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 tablespoon); 2 fresh red chiles, such as red jalapeño or red Anaheim peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped; 2 to 3 shallots, coarsely chopped (½ cup); 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped; 4 dried small Asian red chiles, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, or 1 teaspoon hot paprika; ½ teaspoon shrimp paste (optional, see box), toasted, or 1 teaspoon fish sauce or soy sauce; 2 fresh Kaffir lime leaves (see Notes), or ½ teaspoon finely grated lime zest (the oil-rich outer rind); ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut; 1½ teaspoons Coarse salt (kosher or sea)

Preparation info

Makes 12 Pieces; Serves
4
as a Light Main Course

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

Planet Barbecue

By Steven Raichlen

Published 2010

About

If you happen to visit Melaka, Malaysia, Bong Geok Choo is the sort of chef you want to have prepare your dinner. Meticulous. Deeply rooted in the culinary traditions of her native coastal Malaysia. And, most important, while schooled in the ways of an executive hotel chef, she learned to cook from a food-savvy grandmother. Choo is my guide to one of the most popular grilled dishes in Southeast Asia (and one of the least-known dishes in the West): otak-otak. Imagine