otah bergedel

The town of Muar in Johor, Malaysia is famous for its otah-otah. However, there are many places in Muar claiming to sell the famous Muar otah. I have ever sampled some bought by Da's mother and GN's mother-in-law and I have to say that the ones bought by my mother and her siblings are more delicious. Yes, I am biased.... *grin*

The one bought by Da's mother (through her friend who went to Muar) contained a lot of flour. Although there was a nice otah smell when she steamed the otah, the minute I bit into the steamed otah, I could tell the difference in taste. It was rubbery.

The one bought by GN's mother-in-law from Kukup (if I recall correctly) was closer in texture and taste to the ones preferred by my mother and her siblings. If you do not want to make a trip all the way to Muar to buy the otah, you may want to consider buying the Muar otah sold in Kukup although it would probably cost less if you were to buy it in Muar itself.

My Uncle T's favourite Muar otah shop is different from the rest of the siblings but both are just as nice. I am not sure which shop he buys his Muar otah from but the shop that my mother patronises is actually a house. The owners have built an extension to their home and converted the extension into a factory cum shop. They have been in business for many years. I am not able to tell you the brand of the otah. All I know is that the house/shop is located in one of the small lanes in Muar. I simply tag along when my mother picks up the otah that she has ordered.

Over the years, I have used the Muar otah as a base for several types of dishes. I have made otah lasagne, otah pizza, otah casserole, otah patties and now... otah bergedel.

"Bergedel" is a Malay word. It refers to potato patties. A typical bergedel comprises mashed potato, salt and pepper to taste, butter, spring onion, etc and it is deep fried.

When I made otah bergedel, I used dried parsley instead of spring onion. Also, I baked the otah bergedel instead of deep frying them.

Ingredients

2 pcs frozen otah2 large potatoes (boiled and mashed)1 tsp butter
1/2 stick celery (sliced)
1/2 small carrot (halved and sliced)
1/4 cup canned peas
4 pcs cut young corn (sliced)
1/4 green capsicum (sliced)
1 tsp dried parsley
freshly ground black peppercorn
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup Bisquick pancake & baking mix

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees celsius.

2. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

3. Boil the potatoes until they are soft. Mash the potatoes and mix with the butter until well blended.

4. Place the otah on a plate and microwave (covered) on HIGH for 3 minutes.

5. Place the celery, carrot, peas, corn and capsicum in a microwavable container and add enough water to cover the vegetables. Place the lid on and microwave on HIGH for 10 minutes. Drain off the water.

6. In a large mixing bowl, mix the potato, otah, vegetables, parsley, ground peppercorn, egg and Bisquick pancake & baking mix.

7. Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop out the batter and place them on the baking tray. Lightly flatten the batter.

8. Bake for 7 1/2 minutes on each side.