Thin dough wrapped around a spiced ground beef and egg filling, pan-fried until crisp, an Indonesian street food favorite.
Martabak telur is a savory street food found across Indonesia, thin sheets of dough enclosing a filling of spiced ground meat mixed with beaten egg and scallion, folded into a square packet before frying. The filling gets its warm flavor from a quick blend of curry powder, garlic and shallot, cooked briefly with ground beef before being mixed with raw egg, which sets as the martabak fries, binding everything together. Fried until deeply golden and crisp on both sides, martabak telur is traditionally served with a side of pickled cucumber (acar) and a light curry-vinegar dipping sauce, best eaten hot and sliced into wedges.
Serves 4
Mix flour, water, salt and oil into a smooth, elastic dough; knead 8 minutes, then rest covered 30 minutes.
Cook onion until soft, add garlic and curry powder, cooking 1 minute, then add ground beef and cook until browned; let cool slightly.
Beat the eggs with scallions and salt, then mix in the cooled beef mixture.
Divide the rested dough into 4 pieces and stretch each very thin on an oiled surface into a wide square.
Stretch the dough as thin as possible, working from the center outward with oiled hands, similar to a strudel dough.
Pour a portion of the egg-beef mixture onto the center of each stretched dough square, then fold the edges over to enclose it completely into a smaller square packet.
Fry each folded packet in a hot, oiled skillet for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden and crisp.
Slice into wedges and serve hot with acar.
Stretch the dough as thin as possible before filling — this is what gives martabak its signature thin, flaky-crisp exterior once fried.
Let the beef filling cool slightly before mixing with the raw egg, so the egg doesn't partially cook from residual heat.
Fold the dough packet snugly so the egg mixture doesn't leak out while frying.
A sweet version, martabak manis, uses a completely different pancake-like batter filled with chocolate, cheese or condensed milk.
Chicken can substitute for ground beef in the savory filling.
Adding curry leaves or extra spices to the filling gives more traditional depth.
Best eaten fresh and hot; refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days and reheat in a dry skillet or oven to help re-crisp.
Martabak telur reflects Indonesia's Arab and Indian culinary influences, its name and stuffed-pastry format tracing back to trade connections across the Indian Ocean, and it remains a beloved street food found at night markets across the country.
Telur (egg) martabak is savory and made with a thin, stretched dough, while manis (sweet) martabak uses a thick, spongy pancake batter filled with sweet ingredients like chocolate or cheese.
Let it rest longer before stretching, and work gently from the center outward with well-oiled hands to avoid tearing.
The dough packet likely wasn't folded tightly enough — fold the edges over firmly and press to seal before frying.
Per serving (240g / 8.5 oz) · 4 servings total
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