Martabak Spotlite - Jakarta

Jakarta's favorite 'night food'. Well...for those sleepless zombies who get hungry at 12.00am, In Sydney, they've got Doner Kebabs. In New York, they've got takeout Kung Pow Chicken. But in Jakarta, nothing's better than fatty, buttery, cholesterol-risin' pimple-inducin' sweet (or salty) Martabak Pancakes.




Martabak Manis
(Sweet Martabak Pancakes)
-> In Jakarta, this thing is known by the name "Martabak Manis". Although, outside Java, this dish is known as "Terang Bulan" (literally, "Moon Shine"). It's basically a thick, sweet pancake filled with cheese, chocolate, and peanuts. There's a similar type of pancake sold in Singapore, but it's nowhere near the tastiness of these babies.



Martabak Asin
(Savory Martabak Pancakes)
-> Also known as "Martabak Telor" (Egg Martabak). I can't really say that this is the 'savory' version of the sweet martabak, because although in Jakarta they share the same name, the ingredients and taste of the two dishes differs greatly. This one is made of duck eggs, wrapped in some kind of thin, crispy pastry and filled with meat and vegetables. Originated in India (or the Arab peninsula, I'm not so sure), there are several versions of this salty martabak. The two most prominent versions are "Martabak Asin", the generic version sold in every Martabak peddlars / restaurants, and the "Martabak Mesir" (Egyptian Martabak), a more spiced-up, exotic version sold exclusively by peddlars of Arabian descent and Padangese restaurants.

In Malaysia, India, and Singapore, this dish goes by the name "Murtabak".