Asian Seafood Recipes - Malaysia Steamed Fish Parcels (Otak Otak) Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb cod or other white fish fillets, skinned and cut into strips

Sauce:

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 4 green chilies, finely chopped

• 1/2 tsp chopped lemon grass or grated lemon rind

• 1 tsp turmeric

• salt and pepper

• 4 tbsp shredded coconut

• 1 cup thick coconut milk

Serves 6-8

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Method:

1. Pound all the sauce ingredients, except the coconut milk, together until they form a smooth paste. Put the milk into a saucepan and heat until it is hot but not boiling.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the paste mixture.

3. Cut out four medium squares of foil. Spread some of the coconut mixture over the bottom of each one, then divide the fish between them. Cover with the remaining coconut mixture.

4. Fold the foil into neat parcels, to enclose the filling completely. Place the parcels in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof plate set over a pan of boiling water.

5. Cover and steam for 30 minutes. Serve straight from the wrapping.

Note: In Malaysia banana leaves are used as wrappers for this dish, but foil or any other heatproof wrapping makes a good Western substitute.