Sweet martabak
Martabak manis, also called terang bulan, is a beloved Indonesian street food cooked in a heavy pan until the inside is riddled with honeycomb holes. It's spread generously with butter, then sprinkled with chocolate sprinkles, peanuts and condensed milk before being folded in half, so every bite is soft, fluffy, rich and wonderfully sweet.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rising or chilling
- 1 hr
- Total time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Method
- Pan-cooked or waffle iron
Ingredients
Batter
For cooking
Filling
Instructions
Step 1
Mix 250 g all-purpose flour, 30 g granulated sugar, 3 g baking powder and a pinch of salt, crack 50 g eggs into the center, then whisk while gradually pouring in 150 g whole milk and 150 g water. Adding the liquid slowly keeps the batter from clumping and makes it smooth faster. The batter is ready when it's about as thick as drinkable yogurt and falls from the whisk in an unbroken ribbon.
Step 2
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the batter rest for one hour at room temperature. As it rests, the starch absorbs enough liquid that the finished pancake is soft and full of even holes. The batter is ready when a few tiny bubbles appear on the surface and it's a little thicker than when first mixed.
Step 3
Just before cooking, dissolve 2 g baking soda in a tablespoon of water and stir it gently into the batter until evenly mixed. Baking soda reacts as soon as it meets heat, so adding it too early robs the batter of its ability to form a honeycomb. The batter is ready when small bubbles start to appear all over the surface.
Step 4
Wipe a heavy 24 cm pan with vegetable oil (to taste), heat it over low heat, pour in all the batter and swirl the pan so the batter coats the sides. When holes appear on the surface, sprinkle 30 g superfine sugar over it, cover with a lid and cook for about twelve more minutes. Low heat crisps and browns the bottom while giving the inside time to cook through. It's done when the top is dry and full of holes and the bottom is an even deep brown.
Step 5
Lift the pancake onto a cutting board and immediately spread 50 g softened butter over the entire holey surface, sprinkle with 60 g chocolate sprinkles and 50 g crushed roasted peanuts, then drizzle with 60 g sweetened condensed milk. Because the pancake is still hot, the butter melts and soaks deep into the honeycomb holes. The filling is ready when the butter is glossy and melted and the chocolate sprinkles have softened slightly.
Step 6
Fold the pancake in half, press gently so it sticks, then brush a thin layer of butter over the outside and cut it into rectangles. Folding it while warm lets the butter and condensed milk glue the two halves together. It's finished when the cut sides show a fluffy crumb with the chocolate and peanut filling sandwiched tightly in the middle.
Equipment
- Nonstick skillet
- Whisk
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Sieve
- Spatula
- Plastic wrap
Tips
- A cast-iron or heavy-bottomed aluminum pan gives the closest result to a street vendor's cart, because it holds heat evenly.
- You can switch the filling to grated cheese with condensed milk, or pineapple jam; the method stays the same.
- Be generous with the butter, since butter is exactly what makes martabak fragrant, soft and moist.
Storage
Martabak is best eaten hot within an hour. If you have leftovers, wrap them tightly and refrigerate for up to two days, then reheat in a covered pan over low heat for a few minutes.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The inside is dense with no honeycomb holes.
- The baking soda went in too early or the batter didn't rest long enough. Let the batter rest for one hour and stir in the baking soda only right before cooking.
- The bottom burns black while the top is still wet.
- The heat was too high. Turn it down to the lowest setting, cover the pan so the heat cooks the top, and patiently wait a few more minutes.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
