Making Todak into Otak

This recipe is done like a year ago, I posted it up on a couple of local fishing forum. However, being so old, I have a hard time looking for it if I need the info. As this recipe is given to me verbally, I have no digital record of it, so decided to put it up here.

Todak is a type of gar fish which is found in abundance in our surrounding waters, while considered a pest fish for most anglers, myself, DesT (my great fishing kaki and mentor) and a small group of noodle rod users like to target them. Not for it's meat but for the great fight it provides on ultralight tackle.

As it's meat is pretty firm and bland, it is cooked usually as curry or assam pedas in our region but I decided to give it a little twist by using it to make otak. As very little flour is used, the finished otak is essentially fish meat and spices mix, very filling on the tummy.





Ingredients, qty, unit
Todak fillet, 400 grams
Egg, 1
Corn Flour, 2 teaspoon (use 1 heap TABLEspoon of self raising flour if you prefer to use process the todak in a blender)
Coconut CREAM, 120ml (I use 'Kara' brand coconut cream, if you use coconut MILK (packet or fresh) you might need to add more)
Sugar, 1 heaped teaspoon (use less you are using sweeter tasting fish)
Salt, 1/3 teaspoon (adjust if belacan is salty)
Kaffir lime leaf, 1/2 piece (Optional; leaf is hourglass shaped, so use one half of it)
Laksa leaf, leaf from one stalk (appox 15 leaf, big and small)

(Ingredients to be Blended)
Shallots, 4 pieces
Lemon grass, 2 stalk (Use bottom section, remove fibrous other layers)
Galanggal, 4cm (diameter) x 1.5cm section
Dried chilli, 15 pieces (soak 10min in hot water, remove stalk and de-seed)
Candle nut, 4 pcs
Chilli padi, 4 pieces (optional, dun use if you dun like spicy otak)
Belacan, 1 cm block (I use Penang 'Shrimp and 6A' brand, adjust according to your preferred brand of belacan)
Turmeric powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon


For wrapping otak
Oil
Banana leaf
Upper section of lemon grass



Preparation
Use food process, blender, or whatever you have to blend the "Blended ingredients" into a smooth paste. Get it as smooth as possible, add some water if needed. Important not to have any big bits of stuff in the paste.

Cut up the todak fillet into small blocks, then use the BACK of a chopper to pound the fillet into a mushy lump of fish meat. If you plan to blend the fillet, change the corn flour to self raising flour. However, end result still differ, I prefer the pounding method. Please use a cheap chopper to do this job, don't risk using your ultra expensive ultra sharp $100 chef knife to do the pounding.

Remove center stalk of kaffir lime leaf and chopped in as tiny as you can (Optional; I like the explosion of flavor when I bite into one of these tiny bit, omit it if you dun like the taste of this. Dun add too much as it will alter the otak taste)
Chopped up the laksa leaf into as tiny as possible, they should be able to be chopped smaller then the kaffir lime leaf.

Cooking
Tough part of preparing the spices and fish meat over, time to cook.
Mixed the fish meat, blended ingredients, coconut cream, corn flour, egg, salt and sugar together. After it is well mixed then add in the kaffir lime leaf and laksa leaf.
Pounded fish meat will appear a tad wet. Blended fish meat will bond together so well that it look like a roti prata dough.
Some folks advice to leave the entire mixture in the fridge for an hour before cooking it, I leave it to you if you want to follow.




Wash banana leaf. Wipe dry with towel. Cut into size you requires.
Optional - Take the 2 upper portion of the lemon grass, tied a rubber band in the middle and make 2 cut length wise. This will act as a brush to spread the oil. (Yes, I am a cheapskate who cannot afford to buy a proper brush... haha).
Take a cut portion of banana leaf, spread a thin layer of oil and place the otak mixture. Wrapped up, close the two ends with staple and it is ready to cook.
Using my Tefal oven, Grill function, 100C, middle rack, 7 min each side. Note - The banana leaf at the end will be burnt, while the area with the otak mixture will be very brown.
End Result. See 1st pic lah.

No banana leaf how? Use the good old foil, spread the otak mixture evenly, place in oven. BAKE, 170C, 15 to 20 mintue (depending on thickness). This method will yield a firm top coat, bottom layer is moist.