TRADITIONAL DESSERT from INDONESIA
Around The World Cultural Food Festival – Washington Monument, National Mall
Saturday, June 16, 2018, 11 AM – 7 PM
Sweet Martabak
This thick pancake is one of the most Delicious street foods you can find in Indonesia. It consists layers of carbohydrates and butter spreads along with whatever filling you crave; from sweet condensed milk, cheese, chocolate sprinkles, peanut butter, jam, sugar, to the trendy flavors such as KitKat, Oreo, Nutella, or Ovomaltine. And here’s to adding more sins: the Martabak stalls are usually open at night so the Indonesian usually eat it as night meal after
dinner. Despite the health problem you could possibly get if you eat too much Martabak Manis, the rich, buttery, sweet taste, fluffy, gooey texture, good feeling if you munch Martabak is worth the guilty pleasure.
Another name that is also popular for this cake in some Indonesian regions is “Terang Bulan” that means “Full moon”, probably because it resembles the shape of the full moon when it’s unfolded. There is no fixed standard on how to make the original Martabak Bangka, the historical note about it only calls for roasted sesame seeds and sugar for fillings, the main batter ingredients are unknown for exact. Recipe ingredients you’ll find are also varied; from coconut milk to water, from baking soda to yeast as the leavening agent, etc. The key to make a successful Martabak Bangka is to fill the batter with air as much as possible to make it spongy, notably if you’re going to use the usual non sticky pan, not the cast iron one. If you go to Indonesia, there are two form of martabak, the usual martabak manis that use no yeast and the second is martabak bolu.
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