Grilled Otak-Otak Recipe

Grilled Otak-Otak Recipe

200 g prawn (shrimp) meat

200 g Spanish mackerel (ikan tenggiri) meat

1 turmeric leaf (daun kunyit), finely sliced

1 teaspoon sugar or to taste

1½ teaspoon or to taste salt

50 coconut leaves, each 20-cm long and cleaned

Bamboo skewers or cocktail sticks

Cooking oil for basting

Spices to be grounded:

2 fresh red chilies, sliced and deseeded

6 dried red chilies, soaked and snipped into 1-inch lengths

3 stalks lemongrass (serai), sliced and use only the bottom white tender part only

5-cm knob turmeric (kunyit), about 20 g, peeled

1 tablespoon coriander seeds (ketumbar biji)

1 tablespoon cumin seeds (jintan putih biji)

6 shallots, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste, toasted

125 ml coconut cream

Method:

Combine all spices ingredients in a blender and process until a fine paste forms.  Set aside.  Roughly mince prawns and mackerel together.  Combine ground spice paste, minced seafood and turmeric leaf in a mixing bowl.  Season to taste with sugar and salt.  Using a butter knife, spread a layer of seafood mixture in the middle of a coconut leaf.  Carefully fold in half along the central stem.  Double-wrap with another coconut leaf, with the stem of the second leaf facing the open side of filled coconut leaf.  Secure both ends with bamboo skewers or cocktail sticks.  Repeat until ingredients are all used up.  Pan fry or charcoal-grill otak-otak for 5-8 minutes or until cooked, basting with oil and turning frequently to prevent burning.  Serve warm either as a snack or with steamed white rice.