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Loading...Indonesian martabak telur is a beloved street-food pancake with a paper-thin egg-and-flour wrapper folded around a richly spiced filling of minced meat, scallions, and scrambled egg, then pan-fried until shatteringly crisp. Served hot with a sharp chili-vinegar dip, it is pure savory comfort and the ultimate late-night snack across Java and Sumatra.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time55 mins
Servings4
Yield4 stuffed pancakes
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 615 kcalCalories
- 32 gFat
- 9 gSaturated Fat
- 45 gCarbs
- 3 gFiber
- 5 gSugar
- 38 gProtein
- 890 mgSodium
- 620 mgPotassium
- 120 mgCalcium
- 6 mgIron
- 8 mgVitamin C
- 180 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the pancake wrappers
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) room-temperature water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for brushing the pan
For the savory filling
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 shallots, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 400 g (14 oz) ground beef or chicken
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 6 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
For the chili-vinegar dipping sauce
- 3 tbsp palm or white vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 red chilies, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cucumber, finely diced
Directions
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center, add the eggs and water, and whisk until completely smooth with no lumps. Stir in 1 tbsp oil and let the batter rest 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the shallots and garlic until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the coriander, white pepper, turmeric, and sugar and cook 30 seconds more.
- Add the ground meat, breaking it up with a spatula, and cook until just browned but still slightly moist, 5-6 minutes. Season with 1 1/2 tsp salt, transfer to a bowl, and let cool slightly. Stir in the beaten eggs and sliced scallions; the mixture should be loose enough to spread.
- Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and lightly brush with oil. Pour about 1/3 cup batter, swirl to coat the bottom thinly, and cook 60-90 seconds until the surface is set and the edges lift easily.
- Spoon roughly 1/4 of the meat-egg mixture over half of the pancake, spreading it evenly. Fold the empty half over the filling, then fold in half again to form a square packet.
- Pour 1 tbsp oil around the packet, tilt the pan, and fry 2-3 minutes per side, pressing gently, until both sides are deeply golden and crisp. Slide onto a cutting board and repeat with the remaining batter and filling.
- While the last pancake cooks, stir the vinegar, sugar, salt, chilies, and cucumber together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.
- Cut each pancake into 3-4 pieces and serve immediately with the chili-vinegar sauce on the side.
Cook’s Notes
- Resting the batter is essential; it relaxes the gluten so the wrappers roll thin and stay pliable without tearing.
- For the crispiest crust, do not skimp on the oil when pan-frying the folded packet – the oil essentially fries the wrapper in place.
- Ground chicken or mutton works just as well as beef; just avoid lean turkey, which dries out quickly.
- If the filling seems too wet, drain off excess liquid before folding so the pancake crisps rather than steams.
- Serve with extra fresh bird's-eye chilies if you want a sharper, more fiery dipping experience.
