Otak Otak is a nyonya dish which means brains in Malay but the ingredients are (thankfully!) a lot more conventional. The base is a fish paste, onto which spices such as chilli, lemon grass, tumeric, coconut milk are added into it. Wrapped into a banana leaf, it’s then grilled over the fire, preferably charcoal.

Compared to the famous ones from Muar, this ones are wrapped into prisms so they’re effectively bigger (edit: this shape seems to be the norm in Thailand, and it’s steamed rather than grilled). Flavours are milder but with a more tangy aftertaste, and the texture is closer to crumbly beancurd than springy fishballs.

I think there’s going to be a lot of split opinions on this one. I’m settling for the Penang version because it’s balanced closer to a mini meal rather than a slightly overpowering side dish.