INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

*
if available; or substitute fresh citrus leaves These banana leaf
packets filled with a spicy fish mousse make great grill-it-yourself
barbecued appetizers.  The banana jackets make them wonderfully easy
to hold in your hand as picnic food.  Or, if you prefer, the filling
may be spread on toast points for a more formal presentation. Otak
Otak comes in many variations throughout Southeast Asia. Each version
contains a rempah, the Malay name for the hand-pounded seasoning
pastes which are the bouquet garni of Southeast Asian cooking.  The
traditional Singapore Nonya rempah includes chiles, garlic, shallots,
lemongrass, turmeric, candle nuts, and shrimp paste, although other
spices and herbs may be used to enhance a particular dish.  Like  curry
pastes, rempahs are traditionally pounded in a mortar. Although  a
hand- pounded paste is better, it is time-consuming and laborious  for
the average American cook. I recommend starting the paste in a  spice
mill and/or a mini-food processor, switching to a mortar for a  final
pounding to smooth out the rough edges. In Singapore, Otak Otak  is
usually made with a Spanish mackerel called tenggiri, but this  recipe
was developed with milder white-fleshed fish. 1. Prepare the  Rempah.
[Recipe below.  S.C.] 2. Pat the fish dry and cut it into  2-inch
pieces. Put the fish in the work bowl of a food processor and  chop
into a fine paste. Add the salt, sugar, white pepper, and egg  and
process until fully incorporated, about 5 seconds. Transfer the
mixture to a large bowl and stir in the cooled rempah. Beat with a
wooden spoon or mix with your hands until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Remove the spines from the lime leaves and cut the leaves into very
fine shreds. Fold them into the fish mixture. 3. For each packet, dip
a square of banana leaf into boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes; pat
dry.  Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the fish mixture down the middle  of
the leaf to within 1 inch of the ends. Place a shrimp in the  middle of
the fish mousse and pat it into the filling to lie flat.  Fold the long
edges over the filling (they should overlap in the  center) to make a
flat long packet.  Press down lightly to flatten  the packet a bit;
press the ends shut and seal with toothpicks.  (Packets may be prepared
to this point up to 2 hours ahead of time  and refrigerated.) 4. Place
the banana leaf packets on a grill 3 to 4  inches over a medium-hot
fire and cook for 3 minutes per side (open  one to test for doneness
before serving). Serve hot, warm, or at room  temperature. Makes 24
packets. VAR1AT1ON: Otak Otak can also be  steamed.  Put the fish
packets on a steaming tray in a wok filled  with boiling water and
steam over medium- high heat for 5 minutes.  REMPAH: (Spice Paste) 1 .
Cut the chiles just below the stem. Shake  the chiles to loosen the
seeds. Discard the stem and seeds. Put the  chiles into a bowl and
cover them with warm water; soak for 15  minutes (1 hour is better, if
you have the time). 2. Cut off and  discard the root from the
lemongrass. Re move the tough outer leaves  until you see a light
purple ring. Use only the tender white  mid-section; chop coarsely. 3.
With the motor running, drop the  lemongrass down the feed tube of a
mini-processor; chop as fine as  possible.  Add the galangal; chop as
fine as possible.  Add the  chiles and chop as fine as possible.  Add
the candle nuts, shallots,  garlic, turmeric, ground coriander, and
shrimp paste and process  together into a paste (this may take 2 to 3
minutes); scrape down the  sides of the work bowl as necessary. 4.
Heat 1/4 cup thick coconut  milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat;
stir continuously until  thick and oily. Add the contents of the
processor and cook gently  until the mixture is fragrant and oily,
about 5 minutes. Add the  remaining coconut milk and bring to a boil,
stirring constantly; cook  until incorporated. Let cool before adding
to the fish mixture. The  rempah can be made a few hours ahead of time.
From "Asian Appetizers"  by Joyce Jue, Harlow and Ratner, 1991. ISBN
0-9627345-1-9. Posted by  Stephen Ceideberg; December 8 1992.  File
ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cberg2.zip

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
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Calories: 59
Calories From Fat: 20
Total Fat: 2.4g
Cholesterol: 15.3mg
Sodium: 292mg
Potassium: 216.8mg
Carbohydrates: 8g
Fiber: <1g
Sugar: 1.4g
Protein: 2.5g