Indonesian peanut sauce
A cooked peanut sauce of ground roasted peanuts, aromatics, shrimp paste and coconut cream, as made for gado-gado; pecel and Malaysian satay sauces are close relatives with different formulas.
Modern method
Murtabak
Martabak Telor · martabak telor · martabak mesir
A Javanese-style Indonesian savoury parcel of thin rested wheat dough folded around curry-seasoned beef and egg, then cooked in an oiled skillet.
A Javanese-style filled flatbread
This version is identified as Javanese-style Indonesian martabak telor, also called martabak mesir. Its thin wheat wrapper is made without a leavener. A long chilled rest makes the dough easier to handle, and each portion is stretched into a broad sheet before it is filled. Four parcels use curry-seasoned ground beef, onion, garlic, leek, and beaten egg. The parcel is folded closed and cooked in oil on a skillet.
The recipe writer describes other regional fillings and accompaniments. This page keeps to the single beef-and-egg formula rather than combining variants.
Sources for this section
Plan the rests
Although the recipe card gives a 51-minute total, its method also requires at least eight hours of refrigeration, around an hour for the dough to lose its chill, and another hour after the portions are coated in oil. The 51 minutes therefore does not represent the full elapsed time for this from-scratch method. Prepare the dough the evening before.
The source lists two tablespoons oil in the dough ingredients and uses that amount to coat the portions; it separately uses one tablespoon oil in the skillet while stretching and three tablespoons to fry the parcels.
Sources for this section
Cool the filling before adding egg
Cook the onion, garlic, and leek until fragrant, then break the beef into small pieces and cook it through. Add the curry and seasonings and reduce the mixture until dry. Spread the filling in a shallow container so it cools more quickly, then refrigerate it within two hours (within one hour if the room is above 90°F/32°C). Keep the refrigerator at or below 40°F/4°C.
The recipe source says to cool the filling fully before mixing in beaten eggs; keep the cooked beef chilled and mix in raw eggs immediately before filling the dough. If preparing the beef mixture ahead, refrigerate it without eggs. Wash hands and equipment after handling raw beef, eggs, or flour, and do not taste raw dough.
Cook the centre, not only the wrapper
A thin wrapper can turn golden before the centre has cooked. Keep the skillet at medium heat as the source directs, brown the first side seam-down, and turn each parcel to cook the other side. Use a clean food thermometer to verify 160°F/71°C in the centre of each parcel. This endpoint covers both the ground beef and egg filling; the source's colour cue alone cannot verify doneness. Serve hot with cucumber relish or another separately prepared accompaniment.
Sources for this section
History
The inspected recipe page identifies its version as Javanese-style Indonesian martabak telor. Its broader historical account is not independently established here; no date of first attestation is assigned.
Ingredients
Yield 4 large parcels · Scaling: source batch only
150 mL
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Cooking oil (dough)For coating the divided dough portions.
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
300 g
OnionFinely chopped.
1 large
GarlicFinely chopped.
6 cloves
LeekWashed and sliced.
1 large
Curry powder
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Chicken powder (optional)optional
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
1.2 mL¼ tsp as recorded
Salt (filling)to taste
Amount not stated
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
Chicken eggBeat immediately before mixing into cooled beef filling.
4 large
Cooking oil (stretching)For the skillet while stretching.
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Cooking oil (frying)For cooking the parcels.
44 mL3 tbsp as recorded
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Ground beef
The filling contains ground beef, which needs a verified internal cooking temperature.
Hazard sourceEgg filling
Beaten egg is mixed into cooked beef before folding and must cook through inside the parcel.
Hazard sourceRaw flour and dough
Raw flour can carry germs; tasting dough before cooking is unsafe.
Hazard sourceCook the ground beef and centre of every egg-filled parcel to 160°F (71°C), measured with a food thermometer.
Control sourceCool beef filling in a shallow container and refrigerate promptly; keep the refrigerator at or below 40°F (4°C). Add beaten egg only after the beef mixture is cold and cook the parcels promptly.
Control sourceSeparate raw meat and egg utensils from ready-to-eat foods; wash hands, utensils, and surfaces after handling raw ingredients. Do not taste raw dough.
Control sourceThe recipe's visual cue that beef is no longer pink is not a reliable safety check; use a thermometer.
A browned wrapper does not show that the centre is cooked. Keep the skillet at medium heat and verify 160°F (71°C) in each parcel's centre.
Raw flour and raw egg mixture must not be tasted.
- Mix the flour and dough salt. Add the water gradually and mix to a rough dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Bring the dough to room temperature for about 1 hour, knead it a few times, then divide into 4 portions. Coat each portion with the 2 tablespoons oil, cover, and rest for 1 hour.
- Heat the filling oil in a skillet. Cook the onion, garlic, and leek for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the ground beef, break it into small pieces, and cook the ground beef to 160°F (71°C), checking with a food thermometer rather than relying on colour.
- Stir in the curry powder, optional chicken powder, sugar, white pepper, and salt. Cook for about 1 minute, continuing until the filling is dry. Spread it in a shallow container and refrigerate promptly; refrigerate perishables within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the room is above 90°F (32°C), and keep the refrigerator at or below 40°F (4°C). Let the filling cool fully before adding eggs. If preparing ahead, refrigerate the beef filling without eggs and mix in freshly beaten eggs just before wrapping.
- Put 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet without preheating it. Stretch one dough portion by hand into a thin square about 10 inches (25 cm) across, allowing its edges to overlap the pan rim. Place one quarter of the filling in the centre and fold the sides, top, and bottom over it to make a sealed parcel.
- Heat the frying oil over medium heat. Set the parcel seam-side down and cook over medium heat until golden, then turn and cook the other side. Keep the heat moderate so the exterior does not brown before the centre cooks. Check the centre of each parcel with a clean thermometer; cook until it reaches 160°F (71°C). Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Serve hot, with cucumber relish or a separately prepared accompaniment. Do not taste raw dough or uncooked filling; wash hands, utensils, and surfaces after contact with raw flour, meat, or eggs.
Conditions
Yield4 large parcels
Active time51 min
Temperature71°C
Places
Java
Documented preparation · Region evidenceThe author describes this recipe as Javanese-style Indonesian martabak; no birthplace is claimed.
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Sources
What To Cook TodayRecipe · Geography
Martabak Telor – Martabak Mesir (Beef and Eggs Pancakes)Javanese-style Indonesian version; ingredient amounts; dough chill, rests and stretching; beef filling and seasonings; egg addition after cooling; folding, medium-heat skillet method and four-parcel yield.
Cited in: A Javanese-style filled flatbread; Plan the rests; Cool the filling before adding egg; Cook the centre, not only the wrapper
FoodSafety.govFood safety
Safe Minimum Internal TemperaturesGround beef and egg dishes should reach 160°F (71°C), measured with a food thermometer.
Cited in: Cook the centre, not only the wrapper
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationFood safety · Storage
Safe Food HandlingRefrigerate perishables within two hours, or one hour above 90°F (32°C); refrigerator temperature should be 40°F (4°C) or below; separate raw foods and clean hands and surfaces.
Cited in: Cool the filling before adding egg
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionFood safety
Raw Flour and DoughRaw flour and eggs may carry germs; do not taste raw dough and wash hands and tools after handling.
Cited in: Cool the filling before adding egg