Otak-otak, also known as otah,1 is a dish of Malay and Peranakan origins.2 It is a blend of raw fish, chopped onions, coconut milk, herbs and spices bound together with egg.3 The puree is usually wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled over an open charcoal fire or in the oven.4 The dish can also be prepared by steaming the wrapped puree in a wok filled with boiling water till the fish is fully cooked.5 Otak-otak is commonly served as an accompaniment to a meal of nasi lemak.6
Description
In Singapore, otak-otak, a savoury snack, is typically made from Spanish mackerel, or ikan tenggiri. The fish is pureed into a kind of mousse or quiche. The texture of the fish paste is soft and smooth, almost like a custard because of the coconut milk.7 Its unique flavour is found in its spicy rempah, a Malay term referring to the spices and seasoning.8 The rempah is traditionally made of chillies, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, turmeric, candle nuts (or buah keras in Malay) and shrimp paste.9 Traditionally, the dish is prepared by pounding all the ingredients using a mortar and pestle before frying.10 Morsels of fish paste are then wrapped in banana leaves, the fragrant aroma of the leaves grilling under charcoal adding to the flavour of the otak-otak.11 Besides accompanying other dishes, the otak-otak can also be eaten on its own.12
Variations
Otak-otak is usually wrapped flat in either coconut leaves or banana leaves and grilled in the oven or fire.13 However, Penang-style otak-otak is wrapped into a triangle with a rectangular base and steamed.14 Recent adaptations of the dish include otak-otak as bun and puff stuffing or as a burger patty.15 Nowadays, otak-otak can be found in supermarkets and sold as a frozen food item.16
Author
Suchitthra Vasu
References
1. “Otah Find Surprises,” Straits Times, 15 August 1999, 11; Patrick Wong, “Simply Yummy!” New Paper, 21 July 2000, 56. (From NewspaperSG)
2. Eveline Gan, “Foodnotes,” Today, 14 May 2007, 28; Audrey Phoon, “Cream of the Crop,” Business Times, 6 February 2010, 6–7 (From NewspaperSG); Sylvia Tan, Singapore Heritage Food: Yesterday’s Recipes for Today’s Cook (Singapore: Landmark Books, 2014), 120 (Call no. RSING 641.595957 TAN); Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore Hawker Classics Unveiled: Decoding 25 Favourite Dishes (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Cuisine, 2015), 81. (Call no. RSING 641.595957 SIN)
3. Terry Tan, Nonya Cooking: The Easy Way (Singapore: Times Book International, 1996), 34. (Call no. RSING 641.5929505957 TAN)
4. “It’s a Wrap,” The Peranakan Association Newsletter no. 1 (July–September 2009), 18. (Call no. RSING 305.895105957 PAN); Tan, Nonya Cooking: The Easy Way, 34.
5. Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, “Recipe: Otah,” The Atlantic (4 November 2009).
6. Gan, “Foodnotes”; Phoon, “Cream of the Crop”; Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore Hawker Classics Unveiled, 81.
7. Sylvia Tan, “Otak-Otak Adds Spice to an Informal Buffet,” Straits Times, 20 August 1995, 8. (From NewspaperSG)
8. The Latest Malay-English Dictionary (Singapore: Intellectual Pub., 1991), 232. (Call no. RSING 499.230321 LAT)
9. Lee Chin Koon, The New Mrs Lee’s Cookbook Volume 1 (Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd, 2003), 140. (Call no. RSING 641.595957 LEE)
10. Classic Peranakan Cooking (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Cuisine, 2010), 36. (Call no. RSING 641.59595 CLA)
11. “It’s a Wrap” 18; Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore Hawker Classics Unveiled, 81.
12. Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore Hawker Classics Unveiled, 81.
13. Ong Jin Teong, Nonya Heritage Kitchen: Origins, Utensils and Recipes (Singapore: Landmark Books, 2016), 113. (Call no. RSING 641.595957 ONG); Rosaline Soon, Grandmother’s Recipes: Tales from Two Peranakan Kitchens (Singapore: R. Soon, 2006), 113. (Call no. RSING 641.595957 SOO)
14. Soon, Grandmother’s Recipes, 113.
15. “Bite Sized,” New Paper, 17 February 2016; “Food: BWB,” Straits Times, 26 June 2015, 7; Tan Hsueh Yun, “Nonya Fillings a Treat,” Straits Times, 14 April 2013, 26. (From NewspaperSG)
16. Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore Hawker Classics Unveiled, 81.
Further resource
Lea Wee, “Love Grilled Food?” Straits Times, 19 April 1997, 22. (From NewspaperSG)
The information in this article is valid as at 2017 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
The information on this page and any images that appear here may be used for private research and study purposes only. They may not be copied, altered or amended in any way without first gaining the permission of the copyright holder.
Kolam, which means “beauty”, is a floor drawing made of coloured flour, and is used for ornamental or ceremonial design during traditional Indian festivities. In Northern India, it is known as rangoli. ...
Ponggal or Pongal, also known as Makara Sankranti, is celebrated in mid-January by South Indians as a festival marking the rice harvest. Pongal, a mixture of sweet boiled rice is made and offered to Surya, the Sun God. The name is derived from the Tamil word pongu, meaning “boil over”...
The Hainanese in Singapore originated from Hainan province in China. According to the 2010 population census, the Hainanese community is the fifth-largest Chinese dialect group, and constitutes less than 7 percent of the Chinese population in Singapore. ...
Various cakes, fruits, sweetmeats, nuts and delicacies are offered during the Chinese New Year as part of the festivities celebrated in Singapore by those of Chinese descent. These items are served primarily because of puns in their names, as they have an auspicious double meaning. ...
Singapore saw the rise of fast food in the 1970s. In 1966, the first fast-food chain, the A&W Family Restaurant, opened here. The first A&W outlet, located on Dunearn Road, paved the way for the establishment of other fast-food restaurants. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) followed suit with the opening of...
It is believed that Warong Nasi Pariaman is the oldest surviving stall in Singapore that serves nasi padang – rice with mixed dishes, originating from the city of Padang in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The stall is famous for its authentic Padang dishes, particularly beef rendang, which is cooked without coriander...
Bubble tea is a beverage originating from Taiwan comprising tea with fruit syrup or milk added, and then shaken. Tapioca balls or “pearls” are often added to the concoction as well. This beverage has undergone a few waves of popularity in Singapore....
On 8 August 2011, local daily freesheet Today published a news feature that mentioned a dispute between a migrant family from China and a Singaporean Indian family over the smell of curry emanating from the latter’s home. Following the publication of the news article, the “curry dispute”, as the incident...
Kuih tutu is a small steamed cake made of finely pounded rice flour with a ground peanuts or grated coconut filling. Thought to be Chinese or South Indian in origin, kuih tutu is believed to be unique to Singapore. ...
Located in the nasi padang belt of the famous Kandahar Street in Kampong Glam, Sabar Menanti is a well-loved Malay restaurant serving authentic Minangkabau (from West Sumatra, Indonesia) dishes. The restaurant is aptly named Sabar Menanti, for in English it means “wait patiently”, which one has to do as the...