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How to cook Otah

Otah is a Singapore snack of spiced fish paste, made with a chilli-and-herb base mixed into minced fish and coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled until smoky and springy. This version is made at home on a stovetop grill pan, with the same spicy, coconut-rich flavour you find at hawker stalls.

Ingredients

For the spice paste

• 10 g dried chillies, deseeded, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
• 4 fresh red chillies, roughly chopped (deseed for less heat)
• 6 shallots, peeled
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 stalks lemongrass, white part only, thinly sliced
• 3 cm piece galangal, peeled and sliced
• 2 cm piece fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced, or 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted in a dry pan until fragrant
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

For the fish mixture

• 500 g mackerel (tenggiri) fillet, skinned and boned, or any firm white fish such as threadfin, cut into chunks
• 1 egg
• 150 ml thick coconut milk
• 2 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, central vein removed, very finely shredded
• 1 small handful fresh basil or daun kaduk leaves, finely sliced (optional)

For wrapping and grilling

• 1 packet (about 10 pieces) banana leaves, cut into rectangles about 20 x 15 cm
• 20 wooden toothpicks or short bamboo skewers, or kitchen string
• 1 tbsp cooking oil, for brushing

Steps

1. Prepare the banana leaves5 min
   Pass each banana leaf piece briefly over a low gas flame or dip it in just-boiled water for a few seconds until it turns glossy, darker green and pliable. Wipe dry with a clean cloth and set aside. This stops the leaves from cracking when folded.
2. Blend the spice paste5 min
   Combine the soaked dried chillies, fresh chillies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and toasted belacan in a blender. Blend to a fine, smooth paste, adding 1 to 2 tbsp of water only if the blades stall.
3. Fry the paste12 min
   Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add the paste and stir constantly for 8 to 10 minutes until it darkens, smells toasty rather than raw, and the oil separates and pools at the edges. Season lightly with the sugar and 1/2 tsp of the salt, then cool completely.
4. Make the fish paste3 min
   Pulse the fish chunks in a food processor for 20 to 30 seconds until coarsely minced and slightly sticky; do not purée it to a smooth cream. Transfer to a large bowl.
5. Combine the mixture3 min
   Add the cooled spice paste, egg, coconut milk, tapioca flour, remaining 1 tsp salt, shredded lime leaves and basil. Mix firmly with a spatula or wet hand in one direction for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is cohesive, spreadable and slightly bouncy.
6. Test the seasoning15 min
   Microwave or pan-fry a teaspoon of the mixture until cooked through, then taste. Adjust with a pinch more salt or sugar if needed. Chill the mixture for 15 minutes so it firms up and is easier to handle.
7. Fill and fold10 min
   Lay a banana leaf piece with the glossy side down. Spoon about 3 tbsp of mixture into a log roughly 10 cm long along the centre. Fold the long sides over the filling, then fold the short ends under to make a snug flat parcel about 2.5 cm thick. Secure the seam with a toothpick at each end. Repeat to make about 10 parcels.
8. Heat the grill pan2 min
   Place a heavy grill pan or cast-iron pan over medium heat for 2 minutes until hot, then brush lightly with oil. Do not use high heat, or the leaves will char before the centre cooks.
9. Grill the first side6 min
   Place the parcels seam-side up on the pan, in batches so they are not crowded. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes until the leaf side is browned in patches and starts to smell smoky.
10. Grill the second side6 min
    Turn the parcels with tongs and grill another 5 to 6 minutes. They are done when the parcel feels firm and springy when pressed and the fish centre reaches 74°C or the filling is opaque and set when you open one to check.
11. Rest and serve3 min
    Rest the otah for 3 minutes, then serve in the leaf, unwrapping at the table. Eat warm on its own, with plain bread or white rice, or tucked into a sandwich.

Tips

• Keep the fish very cold before processing; warm fish gives a pasty, dense otah instead of a springy one.
• Fry the spice paste until the oil separates, because raw-tasting paste is the most common reason homemade otah tastes flat.
• Use thick coconut milk from a carton or fresh-squeezed santan; thin coconut milk makes the mixture too loose to hold its shape.
• If you cannot find banana leaves, use baking paper wrapped in foil, though you will lose the smoky leaf aroma.
• Alternative: cook the parcels in a preheated 200°C oven for 15 to 18 minutes, turning once, if you have no grill pan.

Food safety and allergens

Make sure the fish mixture is cooked through with no raw or translucent centre; open one parcel to check or use a thermometer reading 74°C. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 2 days, reheating until steaming hot.

Contains: egg, fish, shellfish

Watch it being made

• SUPER EASY Otah (Otak Otak) 乌达 Singapore Hawker Street Food & Nyonya RecipeSpice N' Pans · 310,181 views · YouTube
• Otah Otah - 乌达乌达The Meatmen Channel · 269,291 views · YouTube
• SPICY GRILLED SEAFOOD CAKE (OTAK OTAK) | SHERSON LIANSherson Lian · 122,014 views · YouTube

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