Martabak Telur (Indonesian Savory Stuffed Egg Pancake)

About This Recipe

Martabak telur is a beloved Indonesian street food: a thin dough wrapper stuffed with a savory filling of seasoned ground meat, beaten egg, and scallions, folded into a square parcel and pan-fried in generous oil until the exterior turns shatteringly crisp. It's a night-market classic, distinct from its sweet cousin (martabak manis), and typically eaten dipped in a vinegar-chili pickle called acar. The technique that makes or breaks martabak is the fold and the fry: the dough needs to be stretched thin enough to crisp properly but sturdy enough to hold the wet egg-and-meat filling without leaking, and it's shallow-fried in enough oil that all sides get equally golden and crackling, not just pan-seared. A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds pressed into the dough before frying adds a nutty crunch to the crust. Served hot, cut into squares, with a tangy cucumber-carrot acar on the side, martabak telur is rich, crisp comfort food best eaten fresh from the pan while the layers are still audibly crunchy.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8square spring roll or martabak wrappers
• 200 gground beef
• 2eggs(beaten)
• 3scallions(sliced)
• 1onion(finely diced)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tbspcurry powder
• 1 tbspsoy sauce
• 2 tbspsesame seeds
• 0.5 cupneutral oil(for frying)
• 1 tspsalt
• 0.25 tspblack pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the meat filling

   Saute onion and garlic in a little oil until soft, add ground beef, curry powder, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook until browned and no liquid remains, 6-7 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. 2

   Mix the egg filling

   In a bowl, combine the cooked meat, beaten eggs, and scallions.

3. 3

   Fill the wrapper

   Lay a wrapper flat, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the center, and press sesame seeds into the surrounding dough.

4. 4

   Fold into a parcel

   Fold all four sides inward over the filling to form a sealed square packet.

5. 5

   Shallow-fry

   Heat oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Fry the parcel seam-side down first, 2-3 minutes per side, until deep golden and crisp all over.

6. 6

   Drain and cut

   Drain on paper towels, then cut into quarters and serve hot with acar (pickled cucumber and carrot) on the side.

Variations

• •

  Use ground chicken or minced corned beef for different regional variations.

• •

  Add finely diced chili to the filling for a spicier version.

• •

  Make mini martabak using smaller wrapper squares for easy party snacks.

Storage

Best eaten fresh and hot. If needed, refrigerate cooked martabak for up to 1 day and reheat in a dry pan or oven to restore crispness -- avoid the microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions