Widely available everywhere now, no one seems to make otah at home these days. The fun in this is that you can create your own recipes and fill it in with things that you seldom get elsewhere, like crabmeat in this case. You can use additional chili padi if you wish for it to be spicier. You can get processed chilled crabmeat in the larger supermarkets including Green Grocer now.

Makes 4 large otah

Ingredients:

2 sheets banana leaf, trimmed to fit 4 large oaths

8 toothpicks

200g tinned crabmeat (from the body of swimmer crabs)

200g fish paste

1 stalk lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed and finely chopped

2 chilies, finely chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

½ red onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons coconut cream

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

Method:

1. Place the lemongrass, chili, sugar, onion and garlic in a mortar and grind until a smooth paste is formed.

2. Squeeze any excess liquid out from the crabmeat and add all the ingredients in (except the banana leaves).

3. Mix thoroughly with your hands (make sure the mixture is not too wet or else you can squeeze any excess liquid out with your hands).

4. Spread a few spoonfuls of the mixture on the lower half of the banana leaf and fold over, completely covering the mixture with the leave. Secure both ends with the toothpicks. Repeat until all the mixture is used up.

5. Preheat the oven to 230ْC (grill function).

6. Lay the otah on a rack and bake for 10 minutes nearest to the top heating element until the leaves start to brown and burn.

7. Serve immediately as a side dish.