This is an AI-generated image.

Otak-Otak

Name: Otak-Otak
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Malaysia
Ingredients: 400g White Fish Fillet; 100ml Coconut Milk; 4 Red Chili Pepper; 1 stalk Lemongrass; 2 cloves Garlic; 10g Ginger; 1/2 tsp Turmeric; 1 Egg; 1/2 tsp Salt

Side Dish

⏱ 35 min

👥 Serves 4

Difficulty ⭐⭐

White fish blended with spices and coconut milk, then grilled or pan-fried — a signature Peranakan fish dish.

📱 Open in Storage App

🚧 The Storage app is currently in development. Please check back soon.

📖 The Story Behind This Dish

Fish paste mixed with a spice paste and coconut milk, traditionally wrapped in banana leaf and grilled — a dish emblematic of Peranakan-Malay culture. The idea of a fish paste dish itself echoes Chinese fish-cake traditions, layering techniques from multiple cultures.

🌆 Where it's eaten: Sold daily at hawker stalls in Malacca and Penang, as a snack or side with rice.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 4)

White Fish Fillet 400g
Coconut Milk 100ml
Red Chili Pepper 4
Lemongrass 1 stalk
Garlic 2 cloves
Ginger 10g
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Egg 1
Salt 1/2 tsp

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Coarsely chop the white fish in a food processor.
Blend the red chili, lemongrass, garlic, and ginger into a paste.
In a bowl, combine the fish, spice paste, coconut milk, turmeric, beaten egg, and salt, and mix well.
Shape into small ovals.
Heat oil in a pan and cook both sides until golden brown.
Once cooked through, serve.

← More Malaysia recipes 🗺 Explore another country