Another type of food that can be easily found in Singapore hawker food center is the Otah. The typical Otah that is wrapped in banana leaf is made by mixing fish paste with a mixture of spices including chillies, garlic, shallots, turmeric, lemon grass and coconut milk. Steaming of Otahs is rare in Singapore as most would barbecue it over a pit of charcoal which is actually more delicious. But it has to be a careful process as banana leaves are easily burnt, so it would not be nice to have the Otah fillings spilled out of the burnt leaves.
While spicy fish otah is most common, there is also a version without chilli to cater to those who might not be taken into spicy food. Other versions of Otah also include, crab or prawn meat but they are usually spicy. At times, people would enjoy having Otahs with other spicy dishes such as Laksa or Mee Siam.
Most of the hawker food favorites have their own long history where they had originated from, Otah is one of them. But over the years, these food have been modernized to not just improve in its flavor and diversity but to cater to all who would love them despite of the other wider variety of food to be tasted presently.
Leave a Reply