Otak Otak

Today we had an open house to celebrate the Chinese New Year (traditionally it's celebrated over a 15 day period, today is day 9). Friends and work colleagues came over for lunch. We cooked chicken curry, beef rendang, sayor lodeh, and sambal telor, to be eaten with plain rice or roti prata.

In addition, we bought 60 pieces of otak otak, a fish paste wrapped in that luscious green banana leaf, steamed then grilled. This man is employed to do the grilling, he stands in a space surrounded on all four sides with electric grills, constantly turning the otak otak so they grill evenly. It's a hot, hot job. And although I find the smells enticing, I'm sure I wouldn't think so if I had to be there day after day.

(Thank you all for being so kind about yesterday's blip of Black Jack!)