Imagine fresh, de-boned mackerel marinated with coconut milk, freshly ground chilli, onions, lemon grass, blue ginger and turmeric...

Then imagine this fragant paste wrapped in a packaging of fresh off-the-tree banana leaf, which brings its own subtle flavour and ability to retain moisture and taste. Imagine this parcel sizzling over hot coals, or being cooked gently in a steamer.

Whether you are eating it with bread as a sandwich, as an appetizer, or as an accompaniment to hot steamed rice, here is one recipe that displays the full repertoire of Peranakan (Straits Chinese) cuisine.

Though Otah is traditionally made of fish meat, modern versions of Otah use crab or prawn meat and fish head too!