Fish Otah
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Category
Ninja Double Stack XL 9.5L Air Fryer – SL400
Cuisine
Malay
Servings
8
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
Fish Paste
- 300 g (10.5 oz) fish (salmon, mackerel, snapper, or any white fish)
- 1 large onion or 100g (3.5 oz) shallots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2.5 cm ginger
- 2 red chillies (adjust according to spice tolerance)
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 2.5 cm galangal (optional)
- 4 -5 makrut lime leaves (optional)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) coconut milk
- 1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted
- 1 tbsp sambal (optional, for extra spice)
For Wrapping
- Banana leaves (or parchment paper and aluminum foil as alternatives)
- Toothpicks
Directions
- Prepare the Aromatics for easier food processing or blending: Chop the onion or shallots into small pieces. Peel and slice ginger and galangal into smaller pieces (galangal can be tough, so slice at an angle). Trim the root of the lemongrass, peel the outer layers, and slice diagonally. Remove chili tops and slice. Remove the central spine of the makrut lime leaves and roughly tear or cut the leafy portions.
- Prepare fish of choice: Remove the skin and any fine bones from the fish. Cut into small cubes.
Prepare Banana Leaves
Rinse the banana leaves and pat dry with paper towels. Trim any yellowing or dark edges and remove the thick central spine.
Cut the banana leaves to equal sizes. You can eyeball it or be a bit precise with a ruler. I prefer making larger rectangular parcels for my otak-otak, so I went with a size of approximately 26cm x 21cm. If you prefer thinner strips of otak-otak, simply use half of this measurement.
Soften the leaves by passing them briefly over a low flame, until soft and pliable. Set it aside. For more information on how to prepare banana leaves, see this post,
BLENDING THE FISH PASTE
- In a food processor or blender, add all the aromatics: onions, garlic, ginger, galangal, chilies, lemongrass, and lime leaves. Process or blend as much as possible. At this stage, the aromatics do not need to be a smooth paste.
- NOTE: If using a blender, you may move things along by adding a couple tablespoons of the coconut milk.
- Add the fish cubes, turmeric powder, coriander powder, fish sauce, sugar, egg, toasted belacan, sambal (if using), and coconut milk to the food processor. Blend until a smooth, thick and creamy paste forms. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to ensure everything is evenly blended; there should be no chunky bits of aromatics.
WRAPPING THE OTAK OTAK
- Place a banana leaf with the matte, lighter green side facing up.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the fish paste onto the center of the leaf, do not add too much!
- Fold the banana leaf lengthwise over the paste. You may fold the edges inward to form a secure parcel, but this is optional.
- Use toothpicks to secure both ends. Repeat with the remaining fish paste and banana leaves.
COOK THE OTAK OTAK Air Fryer
Arrange the otak-otak parcels on the Double Stack Air Fryer rack in a single layer. Cook for 15 minutes 200°C until the fish custard is firm.
Recipe Note
Use the stacked meal racks when you want to cook two layers of food in one drawer. For the best cooking results, we recommend using the Double Stack Pro function when cooking multi-layered food.
