Time for another recipe from the all-star maestro at faking Malaysian goodies (that would be me) when you can’t get the right stuff. This time, I bring you… BRAINS. Yes, you heard that right. Otak-otak literally translates into “brains” in Malay.

However, you zombies out there are going to be a bit disappointed to find out that this delicacy is… well, brainless.

It’s actually a fish paste with rempah (garlic, turmeric, gallangal, ginger, etc) and is surprisingly easy to fake. Even if you’re a real zombie, you’d enjoy it. I promise.

What you need:

• 1 fillet (approximately o.5 lbs) of a white fish of some sort  such as mackarel, turbot or sole – as long as the meat is white (and no, that’s not a racist statement)
• 0.25 lbs Prawns – but more is always good (I usually do 0.5 lbs, just cause)
• 1 Egg
• 2 Stalks Spring Onion
• 6 pieces Garlic
• 1/4 Red Onion
• Ginger (about my thumb’s length – which is probably maybe around half of yours? Just… around 2″ worth okay?)
• Coconut Milk – canned is fine, but not a lot is going to be used (so save the rest for some curry)
• Tom Yum Paste
• Corn Starch (optional)
• Large Banana Leaf (optional but highly recommended to give it that tropical flavor)

• 1 Large Kitchen Knife
• 1 Blender or hand-held blender (I use a convertible hand blender)
• 1 Large Bowl (if you are using a hand blender of if your blender can’t hold everything)
• 1 Spoon
• Aluminum Foil
• Baking Pan
• A Working Oven (essential)

What to do:

• Blend the garlic, onion, spring onion, ginger.
• Chop the fish up roughly. Then pop it into the blender. Blend till you get a pulp.
• The pulp is thick. Add egg. Blend.
• Add about a 1/3 cup of coconut milk. Do this slowly and keep blending. As long as it’s pulpy, it’ll be okay (use a spoon and if it doesn’t fall off unless you flick your wrist, that’s good). What you don’t want is a watery consistency. If it’s too watery, add about 2 tablespoons of corn starch.
• By now you should have a white-ish creamy mulch. Add tom yum paste. This is the tricky part since it depends on how thick your paste is. A good standard is about 3 large tablespoonfuls.
• Mix. Add more tom yum paste if necessary. You should have an orange-red mulch. Strong orange > pale orange. The color will lighten after baking.
• If you have a banana leaf, soak it in water for a few minutes and lay it on aluminum foil and then onto your baking pan. Just use aluminum foil if you don’t have any banana leaf.
• Chop prawns into chunky bits. Mix into the mulch.
• Spread the mulch on the banana leaf (or aluminum foil). You want it approximately 1″ thick.
• Fold the aluminum foil over and seal loosely. The otak-otak should be completely enclosed in a  glove of aluminum foil love.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius. Check after 15 minutes and unwrap so that it’s exposed, an additional 5 minutes or so should do the trick.

ENJOY with zombie buddies.