“This has to be one of the best Otak Otak I’ve ever tasted,” slurped SeeFoon our inimitable food critic, as she tucked into one of these delectable banana leaf packets.
Widely served across Asia especially in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, Otak Otak is fish meat mixed with a spiced paste served either steamed or grilled. In Malaysia, this Peranakan Nyonya dish is often served grilled at local restaurants. In Ipoh, fans of this delicacy can now savour at their own leisure when they order the steamed Otak Otak handmade by Peter Khoo and his team from Authentic Creation Sdn Bhd.
Having nearly 16 years of experience of making Otak Otak in Malaysia, Peter’s customers come from all over Asia including Thailand, Singapore and Australia.
“Not only do we have local customers, we also have loyal buyers from neighbouring countries who can’t get enough of Peter’s Otak Otak,” said Marcus, one of the directors of Authentic Creation Sdn Bhd. “Our Otak Otak is big. One portion is a meal in itself,” he added. SeeFoon concurs.
Together with his helpers, Peter will make the paste from scratch daily. His knowledge about making Otak Otak comes from his stay in Thailand of almost 20 years and he even speaks fluent Thai. Unlike the ordinary frozen grilled Otak Otak, Peter’s has neither MSG nor additional colouring or preservatives or artificial flavouring. Every bite of his Otak Otak consists of over ten different ingredients and spices.
“Not only do I make the regular Otak Otak, which is made with Barracuda (Ikan Kacang), we also have special Otak Otak where we put in juicy prawns or squid. We have a few customers who have their own customised orders and I’ll try my best to feed their needs,” said Peter, while he continued to fold each Otak Otak.
Readers who are interested to taste this simple yet delicately delicious Otak Otak can do so by contacting Marcus Ng at 016 567 6148 or Jason Law at 016 339 5221. It is advisable to contact them 2-3 days in advance to book your Otak Otak. The team also accepts orders for big events, celebrations, parties, meetings or any special occasion. Regular Otak Otak RM10. Prawns and Squid: seasonal price.
