Otak-Otak

Name: Otak-Otak (Grilled Fish Cakes in Banana Leaf)
Yield: Makes 10 parcels
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: Banana leaves, as needed; 300 g (11 oz) fish fillet (use Spanish mackerel, if available); 4 tsp lime juice; 6 Tbsp coconut milk; 2 Tbsp sugar; 1 Tbsp dried chilli paste; 1 Tbsp cornflour; 1 clove garlic, peeled; 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, roughly chopped; 1-cm (½-inch) knob galangal, peeled; 1 egg, beaten; 4 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced; 1 tsp salt; 3 Tbsp vegetable oil; 45 g (1½ oz) desiccated coconut; 3 shallots, peeled

Grilled Fish Cakes in Banana Leaf

Preparation info

Makes
10
parcels

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

My Rendang isn't Crispy

By Zaleha Kadir Olpin

Published 2019

About

The literal translation of the name of this dish is brain-brain. Apparently, it was so-named because of its resemblance to brains! This spicy, fragrant snack is a common street food in Malaysia. This is my family’s recipe which has been modified to suit our preferences.

Ingredients

300 g (11 oz) fish fillet (use Spanish mackerel, if available)
Banana leaves, as needed

Asia
Malaysia
Snack
Pescatarian
South East Asia
Spicy
Gluten-free
Street Food

Method

Cut the fish into 10 pieces, each about 8 x 3-cm (3 x 1-inch). Set aside. Cut the banana leaves to get 10 rectangles, each about 25 x 15-cm (10 x 6-inch). Soak in boiling water for 3 minutes. This will soften them and make them pliable. Wipe dry and set aside.
Place the ingredients for the spice paste in a blender and process until fine. Heat the oil in a deep pa

Ingredients

Method

Photos