Martabak is an Indonesian street food popular in Java. It seems to have originated from the Arabian “mutabbaq” (Arabic for folded), a stuffed pancake. Seasoned beef and onions are wrapped in egg roll wrappers or thin pancakes and fried until golden. They are often served with Kecap Manis
There is also a sweet type of Martabak called Martabak Manis, a thick pancake folded around chocolate and cheese. This one is now on my list of things to make someday.
These freeze well if you wanted to double the batch for future use. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet after they are completely cooled from frying. Once frozen, they can be placed in a large bag. Place in refrigerator for a couple hours to thaw, then bake in 375 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or heated through.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil + 1 cup for deep frying
1 pound ground beef
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 shallots, chopped
4 large eggs, lightly beaten and divided
20 egg roll wrappers
In a wok or skillet, drizzle 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the beef and stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Cook, stirring often and breaking up the beef, until browned. Remove from heat and let cool.
Once thoroughly cooled, mix in green onions and shallots. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg and stir the remaining into the beef mixture.
Place one egg roll wrapper on work surface and cover the others to keep them from drying out. Place about 1/4 cup of beef mixture in center of wrapper. Fold two of the edges over the center. Brush the other two edges with reserved egg and fold over towards center to seal and create a square shape.
Clean wok or deep skillet and add 1 cup oil over medium heat. Once thoroughly heated, fry the folded martabak until browned and crisp on each side, about 3 minutes total. Place on towel lined plate.
Serve warm with Kecap Manis or other sweet Indonesian sauce.
Adapted from The Exotic Kitchens of Indonesia: Recipes From the Outer Islands
dedy oktavianus pardede says
wow, looks delicious!!!
beside ground meat, my mom used to add some potato and corrot in the filling too…
Tara says
Thanks! Adding potato and carrot sounds wonderful.
kkinga says
Just discovered your blog. Very excited to try some of these recipes. Too bad I live with a house full of picky eaters…Oh well, more for me 🙂
Tara says
Glad you found me! Hope you enjoy the recipes!