Otak Otak (Steamed Fish Dumplings)

As much as I enjoyed the food, I was particularly struck by the generosity of the people of Malaysia – from the tour guide who extended my street food tour by an hour when he found out I was a food teacher, to the local family who invited me to sit with them in a shady spot in their front garden and gave me chilled bottled water. Then there was an elderly lady who heard my english accent and invited me to sit and share her chicken satay, so she might practice her english language skills. And then there was the staff of the local cookery school who shared with me not just the the four recipes I learnt at the class, but an additional eight that I had shown interest in. They also allowed me to share my favourite recipe with you here.

Otak Otak are a delicate fish dumpling, traditionally steamed in a banana leaf pouch. The dumpling itself is incredibly soft, so a firm white fish, cut into chunks, provides a subtle but necessary textural contrast. The dumpling also allows many of the ubiquitous Malay ingredients to shine, including lemongrass, tamarind and coconut. The aroma of the dish is almost as wonderful as the flavour. Sweetly pungent, sour, tangy, rich, fresh, herbal, spicy, citrusy – there aren’t enough adjectives in the world to adequately describe it. Why not try for yourself?

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Level: medium
Skills: spice paste, steaming

Time: 1 hour
Makes: 8 dumplings

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Ingredients
2 stalks lemongrass, roughly chopped
2 standard red chillis, deseeded
3 banana shallots, peeled and quartered
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4tsp cumin powder
1/4tsp coriander
1/4tsp fenugreek
160g white fish, skinned and de-boned
2tbsp coconut milk
1tsp tamarind paste
1 kafir lime leaf, shredded or 1/2tsp lime zest
1/2tsp salt
1/4tsp sugar

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Method

1. Place the lemongrass, chillis and shallots into a blender and blitz to a paste. Alternatively you can use a pestle and mortar.

2. Add the spice paste to the egg, then add the dry spices and whisk to combine.

3. Cut the fish into small cubes of around 2cm. Add to the spice mixture and stir carefully.

4. Finally add the coconut milk, tamarind, lime leaf/zest and seasoning.

5. Cut out eight squares of foil approximately 15x15cm. (Traditionally, banana leaf is used instead and looks fantastic, so substitute here if you can find some).

6. Spoon an eighth of the fish mixture into the centre of the foil. Fold up sides and affix with a cocktail stick.

7. When the parcels are complete, place them in a steamer over a pan of gently boiling water. Steam for 10 minutes.

Bubur Lambuk Ayam (Rice Porridge with Chicken)

Due to some boring travel-related beauracracy, that I won’t go in to here, I found myself arriving in Malaysia with the knowledge that I would be stuck in Kuala Lumpur for the full six days. Compared to my usual itinerary – that’s quite a long stay! I quickly decided the best way was to take this as an opportunity to investigate the local food culture in more depth than usual.

I was rewarded with a plethora of exciting new taste experiences. Malay food is influenced by traditional cuisine, as well as Chinese and Indian, so there was a lot to explore. For me some of the most outstanding elements were the sauces. I tried fragrant satay sauce that ranks so far above anything we can find in the UK that I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for us. Similarly, the sambal, was a gloriously rich and spicily complex sauce the likes of which I have never tasted at home.

Another enjoyably facet of my first foray into South East Asia was the breakfasts. Whilst satisfyingly robust, the dishes were often delicatey spiced and based on rice or noodles. Pork and chicken featured heavily. Culturally this is very different to western food, where foods like this are for more likely to be consumed for lunch. My favourite of all of these was Bubur Lambuk, a warming soup-like porridge of rice in a luscious scented broth. The version I had was punctuated with century egg, but here I am using simple hard boiled eggs in there place. Chicken provides additional protein and texture, while a wide array of optional garnishes add much needed colour and freshness.

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Level: medium
Skills: tempering spices

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

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Ingredients
100g white rice (rinse and clean)
300g chicken meat, finely chopped
2 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1 banana shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2cm ginger root, grated
1 stalk of lemongrass, ends removed
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
3 cardamom pods
3 cloves
1tsp coriander seeds
1tbsp butter
1tbsp oil
800ml water
50ml coconut milk
Salt and pepper

Optional garnishes
– Crispy fried shallots
– Parsley
– Spring onions
– Red chilli
– Soy sauce
– White pepper

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Method

1. Heat up the cooking oil and butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

2. Sauté the garlic, onion, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, clove and coriander until aromatic.

4. Add in the rice and water; bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to a medium simmer. After 15 minutes remove the star anise, cinnamon, cardamom and clove (or else they will overpower the other flavours).

6. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is soft and the consistency of porridge. This will take a further 15-30 minutes.

7. When ready, add the raw chicken and poach until opaque and cooked through.

8. Add coconut milk into the porridge and season to taste.

9. Quarter the hard boiled eggs and stir through gently.

10. When all the ingredients are mixed together, you can serve the porridge garnished with fried shallots, parsley, spring onions and red chilli.