Martabak
Martabak traces its origins to Indian and Yemeni Muslim traders who settled in the port cities of Indonesia centuries ago, bringing with them a stuffed, fried flatbread that closely resembles murtabak found across South and Southeast Asia today. Over generations the recipe was adapted with local ingredients and techniques, and it split into two distinct branches: martabak telur, a savory version filled with egg and minced meat, and martabak manis, a thick, sweet folded pancake loaded with chocolate, cheese, and condensed milk. The savory version is built around a dough that vendors stretch by hand until it is almost paper-thin, a skill passed down through families who run martabak carts across Indonesian cities after dark. Filled with a mixture of egg, minced beef or chicken, curry-spiced onion, and scallions, the dough is folded into a neat square and deep-fried until the layers turn shatteringly crisp. It is traditionally sliced into wedges and served alongside a tangy pickle of cucumber and shallots, a combination that cuts through the richness of the fried pastry.
Hand-stretched dough folded into layers
The dough is pulled paper-thin before frying for extra crunch
Filled with egg and spiced ground meat
Curry-spiced meat and egg create a rich savory filling
Deep-fried until golden and crisp
Hot oil crisps the folded layers to a shattering crunch
Served with cucumber and pickled shallots
A tangy acar pickle balances the fried pastry's richness
Ingredients 4 servings
- 250g all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for frying
- 150ml warm water
- 300g ground beef or minced chicken
- 4 eggs
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- 2 tsp curry powder
- Cucumber and pickled shallots (acar), for serving
How to make it
- 1Knead the flour, oil, and warm water into a smooth, elastic dough, then cover it and let it rest for at least an hour.
- 2Divide the dough into balls, coat each one lightly with oil, and let them rest again until they become very stretchy.
- 3Meanwhile fry the ground meat with chopped onion and curry powder until fully cooked and fragrant, then set the filling aside to cool.
- 4Stretch each dough ball by hand into a thin, almost transparent sheet on an oiled surface.
- 5Spoon the meat filling into the center, crack an egg over it, and sprinkle with sliced spring onions.
- 6Fold the edges of the dough over the filling to form a sealed square parcel.
- 7Fry the parcel in plenty of hot oil until deeply golden and crisp on both sides, then slice and serve with cucumber and pickled shallots.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
