Otak Otak – Fish Custard

Otak Otak – Fish Custard (Malaysia)

A fragrant Malaysian delicacy of spiced fish mousse steamed in banana leaves. This Otak Otak blends snapper, coconut milk, lemongrass, and chili into a silky, aromatic custard with subtle heat and sweetness—capturing the essence of Southeast Asian coastal street food in every tender, savory bite.

Ingredients:

• 5 oz snapper, cubed
• 4 shallots, rough chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and rough chopped
• 2 red Thai chilis
• 2 long green chilis
• 5 lime leaves
• 2 stalks lemongrass, peeled, root ends trimmed, and rough chopped
• 1 tsp (4.9ml) turmeric powder
• 1 tsp (4.9ml) ground coriander
• 1 tsp (4.9ml) fish sauce
• 1 tsp (4.9ml) granulated sugar, plus 1 tsp for sprinkling
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp (29.6ml) rice flour
• 100 ml coconut milk
• 1 tbsp (14.8ml) shrimp paste
• 8 10-inch x 8-inch pieces of banana leaf
• 16 toothpicks

Method:

Add the shallots, garlic, ginger, red Thai chilis, long green chilis, lime leaves, and lemongrass to a food processor and blend to form a paste. Add the snapper, turmeric powder, ground coriander, fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, egg, rice flour, coconut milk, and shrimp paste to the food processor and blend into a smooth paste.

Package fold the short ends of the banana leaves and secure the ends with toothpicks to form boats. Fill the banana leaf boats with the paste and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).

Place the banana leaf boats on a baking tray. Place a baking pan on the lower rack of the oven and carefully fill it with boiling water. Place the tray of banana leaf boats on the upper rack and bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm.