The Secret of Super Delicious Indonesian Sweet Martabak Recipe, 100% Success!

Do you often fail or end up making dense Indonesian Sweet Martabak Recipe? There are some tips and tricks behind it! In this Indonesian Sweet Martabak Recipe, I’m sharing the secret of making sweet martabak with the Teflon you have at home. Follow the steps and you’re guaranteed 100% success.

We will make delicious, bouncy, fail-proof Teflon Martabak complete with tips and tricks.

Sweet Martabak is a Bangka Martabak

Sweet Martabak actually is an American pancake, but Indonesian people make it thick. Sweet Martabak has popular name: Bangka Martabak. People believe that the Indonesian sweet martabak recipe is originally coming from Bangka island, Bangka Belitung Province near South Sumatra Indonesia.

The Ingredients of Indonesian Sweet Martabak Recipe

Here are the ingredients of the Indonesian Sweet Martabak Recipe. Both the ingredients and the methods are important. So, please read until the end as if you miss one step, the Martabak usually will fail. The method is rather tricky, whereas the ingredients are simple.

For the batter, I won’t add them all at once. Flour, water, sugar. Then, I add some cornstarch or Tang Mien flour, or tapioca flour to add some bounce. But you can skip that. Egg, baking powder, water, and baking soda. For the flavoring, I’m using Pandan. Next, Wijsman, of course. Wijsman is so fragrant, but it’s expensive. For the topping, I’m using cheese, condensed milk, and sesame seeds my favorite.

Tips and Tricks in Making this Indonesian Sweet Martabak Recipe

1. Preparation

First, we’ll make the batter. The most important thing when making the batter is to mix it well until it’s all incorporated.

Tips & Tricks: Combine flour, sugar, water, and cornstarch first until incorporated well.

After the batter gets sticky, we add the egg and other ingredients. I’m using a standing mixer. So I can prepare other things as I work. I’m using a standing mixer by Oxone. We’ll mix this thoroughly for quite a while. I’m using a standing mixer, but it’s okay to use a balloon whisk. Don’t forget to scrape the edges so everything is mixed well.

This is the consistency of the batter we want in this Indonesian Sweet Martabak Recipe. It’s well incorporated. The sugar has dissolved. Why should we do this? It’s because we’re not making a pancake. We only mix pancakes for a short time to yield a spongy, fluffy result. For Martabak, we want a bouncy, firmer result. That’s also why we add the egg and baking powder last.

It’s because we want the flour to form gluten nicely. Now, we add the egg and baking powder. Mix it lightly, just until incorporated. If it’s bread, we don’t knead. Simply fold it in as if we’re making a sponge cake.

This is another important step: let the batter rest for at least 1 hour. You can let it rest for more than 1 hour. If it’s been more than 6 hours and you’re not cooking it, store the batter in the fridge.

This batter has been rested for about 3 hours or You can rest it for just 1 hour. You can start to see some little bubbles in here. It’s ready to use. I’m dividing the batter into two. I’m making Vanilla and Pandan flavors.

2. Tips for Cooking Indonesian Sweet Martabak

Here’s another important step you must not miss: how to choose the Teflon. It’s very important to use nonstick Teflon. The thicker the Teflon material is, the better because it can distribute heat more evenly.

The stove is also important. I’m using an electric stove, so the heat is automatically even. If you’re using the regular stove most of the time it fails because only the center is cooked or even burnt. It’s because usually the fire on a regular stove only exists at the center. The trick is by using an oven liner or similar. You can also use two large pans on top of each other. The point is to make the heat spread evenly on this liner and the pan is heated nicely by this liner.

Exactly before we cook the batter, add the baking soda. You can use yeast, but I’m using baking soda as it’s easier. From the original recipe, I divide it into two parts. Then, we add the baking soda.

The one in the batter is baking powder. This is baking soda. It’s different. Mix well. Add the baking soda mixture. I’m adding vanilla. You can skip it or substitute it with something else. Mix well. Remember, don’t stir it too strongly. Do it lightly.

Make sure the pan is hot. I put it on medium heat quite a while ago so the entire surface is evenly hot. That’s important. To test if it’s hot enough, splash the pan with some water. When the water evaporates easily the pan is hot enough. But don’t let the pan gets so hot it emits smoke. If you pour the batter in, it’ll burn instantly.

The pan, the fire, and the heat are important. Here’s another important thing: pay attention to the thickness of the batter. We’re using a home Teflon, so the heat distribution isn’t as good as the steel pan used for Martabak. That steel pan is thick, so even when the batter is thick, it will cook evenly.

So, avoid making thick Martabak at home. Now, spread the batter to the edges to form a crust. Put it back onto the heat. Do not cover the pan. If you do, the top will be cooked before the bubbles burst. The result will be dense.

As you will see, the bubbles are rising to the top after only a short time. If your Teflon is not hot enough, the bubbles have no strength to rise to the top. If the pan is too hot, the batter will burn instantly. So, the heat must be spot on.

After the bubbles rise but before they burst, you can lower the heat a bit. If you put the pan on low heat from the beginning, the bubbles cannot rise. When cooked, the surfaces won’t have holes. Lower the heat and wait until most of the bubbles rise, then sprinkle the top with sugar.

We can sprinkle the sugar now as it also helps to burst the bubble. Don’t sprinkle the sugar too early as it will make the Martabak dense. Look. The surface is full of holes but it’s just a bit wet.

Now, we let it finish cooking by covering the pan. Tips & Tricks: Cover the pan after the bubbles burst and the batter is half-cooked. Before we cut this one, we can make the Pandan flavor.

This is the baking soda mixture. Add the Pandan essence. Add it to the batter, Cook it step-by-step.

just like the Vanilla version. Now, it’s cooked! Wow, so beautiful! The surface isn’t wet anymore. That means it’s cooked. Then, lift the Martabak.

The edges break a bit because some were stuck to the pan. Look. The bottom is cooked evenly. And it’s dry.

Once it’s cooked, remove it from the pan. Don’t let it cool on the pan as it’ll get moist. Let’s spread some butter on it. Don’t be shy with the butter. I’m using all Wijsman. Cover the entire surface with butter so it’ll be delicious. The holes will be filled with butter so once we cut or bite into it, the butter will flow out. That’s so good.

So that it looks like an Indonesian Martabak from the shops, let’s cut it into two before we fill it.

Look. The edges are super crispy. Now, let’s put in the toppings. First, the cheese. Wow, it’s filled with cheese. Use all of it? Don’t. It won’t taste good if we use it too much.

Done.

Sprinkle some sesame seeds, if you like. Finally, the condensed milk.One, two…Look!We don’t need to put more butter on top. The butter is oozing out already. So fragrant. Now, let’s cut. Do you hear that? So crispy still. Look. So special. As you can see, there are holes on the inside. It’s bouncy. The Wijsman butter is overflowing. Enjoy this Indonesian Sweet Martabak Recipe. Have a try at home!

The secret of Delicious Indonesian Sweet Martabak Recipe

Recipe by Devina Hermawan

Do you often fail or end up making dense Indonesian Sweet Martabak (Indonesian Pancake)? There are some tips and tricks behind it! In this video, I’m sharing the secret of making Indonesian sweet martabak with the Teflon you have at home. Follow the steps and you’re guaranteed 100% success.

Course: dessertCuisine: indonesianDifficulty: Medium

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Servings

1

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Ingredients 1:

• 225 g medium-protein flour

• 20 g cornstarch / Tang Mien flour / tapioca flour

• 30 g sugar

• 250 ml water

• 1 egg

• 3/4 tsp baking powder

• Ingredients 2:

• 50 ml water

• 3/4 tsp baking soda

• 2 tsp Pandan / Vanilla essence, to taste

• Sugar as needed

• Toppings (to your preference):

• Butter / margarine

• Condensed milk

• Cheese

• Toasted sesame seeds

Directions

• Make the Martabak batter. Combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, and water. Mix with mixer until all ingredients are well-incorporated.
• Add the egg and baking powder. Mix well.
• Let the batter rest for at least 1 hour.
• Divide the batter into two, for Vanilla and Pandan flavors.
• Place the Teflon on medium heat.
• For the Vanilla-flavored batter, combine the baking soda with water and mix well. For the Pandan-flavored batter, combine the baking soda, water, and Pandan essence and mix well.
• Add the baking soda mix and Vanilla essence to the first batter and mix well. Add the baking soda mix and Pandan essence to the second batter and mix well.
• Pour the Vanilla-flavored batter to the Teflon. Swivel the pan so the batter sticks to the edges of the Teflon.
• Wait until the bubbles rise. Then, lower the heat.
• Sprinkle some sugar on top to help the bubbles burst.
• After the surface is covered with holes, cover the pan and let it cook until the surface is not sticky anymore.
• Pour the Pandan-flavored batter to the Teflon. Cook just like the first batter.
• After the Martabak is cooked, spread some butter on the entire surface right away.
• Cut the Martabak into two.
• Top with grated cheese, sesame seeds, and condensed milk.
• Stack the Martabak on top of one another and cut into several pieces.
• Sweet Martabak is ready to serve.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Pan size: 18-20 cm
• The idle time can be opened or closed, it makes NO difference
• Baking soda and baking soda: the same
• Baking soda and baking powder: NOT the same. Baking soda is a basic ingredient, it still needs an acidic component (example: vinegar, lemon) to get the desired chemical reaction.
• Baking powder: there is already baking soda in it, plus several other components such as dry acid and corn flour.
• The power of baking soda is 3-4x than baking powder
• Have you followed the composition of the dough but the nesting is less than optimal or stubborn? The cooking process is wrong, not hot enough or the heat is uneven or the dough is too thick (the pan is too small)
• The second possibility is that the baking soda / baking powder is not working properly because it has been open for too long
• Don’t use salt, other ingredients already contain a lot of salt
• Taste a little bitter? Check again the use of baking soda / baking powder