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Motabbaq ( ar, مطبق) is a stuffed
pancake A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a Starch, starch-based batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or fryi ...
or pan-fried bread which is commonly found in the
Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
and Southeast Asia, notably in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and Bangladesh (
Mughlai paratha Mughlai paratha ( bn, মোগলাই পরোটা, Moglai pôroṭa) is a popular Bengali street food which is believed to have originated in Bengal Subah during the time of Mughal Empire as a derivative of the Turkish Gözleme. The dish is ...
). Depending on the location, the name and ingredients can significantly vary. The name ''mutabbaq'' in Arabic means "folded". It is a popular street food in Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. Murtabak is often described as spicy folded omelette pancake with bits of vegetables. The most common form of murtabak is made from pan fried crepes usually stuffed with beaten eggs, chopped
leek The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek ( syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. The genus ''Alli ...
s, chives, or green onion ( scallions) and minced meat, which is then folded and cut to squares. In Indonesia, the murtabak is one of the most popular street foods and is known as martabak. Vegetarian murtabaks and other forms of murtabaks with chicken and other stuffings exist and can be found in many Yemeni, Indian Muslim restaurants in Singapore, including the Little India area and Arab Street. In Malaysia, murtabak was originally sold in
Indian Muslim Islam is India's second-largest religion, with 14.2% of the country's population, approximately 172.2 million people identifying as adherents of Islam in 2011 Census. India is also the country with the second or third largest number of Muslim ...
restaurants and stalls, and usually includes minced meat (beef or chicken, sometimes goat meat, mutton) along with garlic,
egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...
and onion, and is eaten with curry or gravy, sliced cucumber, syrup-pickled onions or tomato sauce. The dish is sold throughout the country, with diverse variations in ingredients and cooking style, and has been adopted by
Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...
Muslim sellers as well. In Yemen, murtabak also usually includes goat meat or mutton. In Indonesia, Martabak is a renowned street food that comes in two types: Martabak Manis and Martabak telur. Martabak Manis or Terang Bulan is originally a thick and sweet pancake that is usually topped with various toppings ranging from chocolate, cheese, peanuts, condensed milk, sesame seed and margarine. Today, Martabak toppings consist of international favours such as Skippy Peanut Butter spread,
Ovomaltine Ovaltine (also known by its original name Ovomaltine) is a brand of milk flavoring product made with malt extract (except in the blue packaging in the United States), sugar (except in Switzerland), and whey. Some flavors also have cocoa. Ovaltin ...
, Toblerone, Lotus Biscoff and Durian Spread. Martabak Manis also recently comes in a thin and crispy variety, known as Martabak Tipis Kering (''Tipker''). Martabak Telur, the savoury type, are crispy pancakes that consist of eggs, chicken or beef meat and scallions.


History

The word mutabbaq in Arabic means "folded". This suggests that Murtabak might originate from Yemen, which had a sizeable Indian population; through Indian traders it spread back to their home countries. Murtabak was brought to Southeast Asia by Tamil Muslim traders. The dish referred to as ''murtabak'' is a multi-layered pancake that originated in the state of Kerala where the people referred to as "mamaks" ("mama" means "uncle" in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
) hail from. The word "mutabar" is the original name for the particular dish referred to in other languages and dialects as "murtabak." "Mutabar" is an amalgam of two words, "muta" (being the Keralite word for egg, a significant component of the dish) and "bar," an abbreviated form of the word barota, or "bratha roti" (the bread). The bread base or pancake on which it is then spread over is referred to in Hindi as "pratha roti" or "pratha" or "parantha" Other than that, "murtabak" is also known to be another version of the
Mughlai paratha Mughlai paratha ( bn, মোগলাই পরোটা, Moglai pôroṭa) is a popular Bengali street food which is believed to have originated in Bengal Subah during the time of Mughal Empire as a derivative of the Turkish Gözleme. The dish is ...
popular in Kolkata, India. There are similar versions of the bread in places such as Yemen and other regions of the Arabic world and Persia. All of these places in the Middle East were visited by Indian traders centuries ago and it would not be unusual for them to have learned from each other or to have adopted each other's culinary habits and practices. However, the word "mutabar" is the original name for the egg, chilli, and onion flavoured multi-layered pancake. In Indonesia, Martabak Manis is originated from the Bangka Belitung Islands, by Chinese Descents ( Hokkien and Khek) and it was named “Hok Lo Pan” which translates to “Hok Lo ethnicity’s cake.” Its traditional topping includes sugar and sesame seeds. Martabak Manis has different names in different regions. In West Borneo, it is called Apam Pinang, similar to Malaysia's
Apam Balik '' Apam balik'' () also known as ''Martabak Manis'' (),, ''terang bulan'' (), peanut pancake or ''mànjiānguǒ'' (), is a sweet dessert originating in Fujian cuisine which now consists of many varieties at specialist roadside stalls or resta ...
. In
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
, Martabak Manis is referred to as “Kue Bandung” which means
Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
cake. The origin of Kue Bandung started when a man from Bangka Belitung, opened a Martabak Manis stall beside a “Bandung Noodle” stall. In countries where martabak is widely available, it is so common it has become an everyday dish. This dish is made not only at home, but often found in inexpensive food service menus specialising in traditional cuisine, which is why has the reputation of street food. Sometimes martabak – especially sweet – go on sale in stores already in finished form.


Variants


Savoury

There are many varieties of martabak. For example, in Brunei, most martabaks are usually not stuffed, but only made of dough (called ''martabak kosong'') similar to the Indian paratha. ''Martabak kosong'' consists of a bread-like dough that is kneaded and prepared similarly to a pancake or other martabak by tossing it into the air, and served piping hot with a sweet curry sauce. In Singapore and Malaysia (where it is called murtabak), the murtabaks are usually filled with spiced beef, chicken or mutton and served with a curry sauce, sweet pickled onions or cucumber in ketchup. Another variant in Malaysia and Singapore is murtabak cheese which uses mozzarella cheese as additional filling. Johorean (Malaysia) and Singaporean murtabak uses more minced meat than most Malaysian murtabak. The common ingredients of Indonesian egg martabak, besides the dough, is seasoned ground meat (beef, chicken or mutton), sliced green onions, some herbs (optional), beaten duck eggs, salt, and potatoes. Some street vendors mix the ground beef with curry seasoning. In Indonesia, the common spices to make the seasoned ground meat are shallots, garlic,
ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...
,
cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a
coriander Coriander (;
, turmeric, some salt, and sometimes a little bit of monosodium glutamate. All the spices are ground or minced and stir-fried altogether. Some martabak makers add extra ingredients and other varieties to make their martabak unique, but they all share the same main dough. To fry martabak, the chef uses a very large flat frying pan or iron griddle. Usually they use vegetable oil to fry, but it is not uncommon to use
ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from c ...
or butter too. Before serving, martabak usually is cut into portions. Sometimes it is eaten with sweet and salty soy sauce and pepper. Savoury versions of martabak in Indonesia and Malaysia usually are served with acar or pickled condiment consisting of diced cucumber, sliced carrot, shallots, and sliced chillies in sweetened vinegar whereas in Singapore, the condiment consists of sliced cucumbers in tomato ketchup. In Malaysia, Singapore and some areas in
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, martabak is served with ''kari'' ( curry) gravy. In Palembang, another variety of martabak is egg-martabak (eggs dropped into the flatten dough before folded while frying) served in curry (usually diced potatoes in beef curry) and topped with chillies in sweet-sour soy sauce called ''Martabak Haji Abdul Rozak'', or more commonly known as ''Martabak HAR'', made popular by an
Indian Indonesian Indian Indonesians ( id, Orang India Indonesia; ta, இந்திய இந்தோனேசியர்) are Indonesians whose ancestors whose ancestors originally came from the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, this term can be regarded as ...
named Haji Abdul Rozak. There is also a popular martabak variant from Padang, West Sumatra called ''Martabak Kubang'', which is served with light curry as dipping sauce. Another variety of martabak, especially in Malaysia and Sumatra (such as in
Jambi Jambi is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the east coast of central Sumatra and spans to the Barisan Mountains in the west. Its capital and largest city is Jambi. The province has a land area of 50,160.05 km2, and a sea area of 3, ...
,
Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...
, and Lampung), is one called ''martabak kentang'' (potato-stuffed martabak). It usually uses the similar dough as other martabak, but it is stuffed with a mix of diced potatoes, beaten eggs, chopped green onions, and spices instead of beaten egg and ground beef. It is eaten by dipping it into hot sweet-sour soy sauce or curry sauce. There are many variety of Martabak, specifically in Indonesia, where various types of emerging toppings are being added to innovate the dish. Toppings that are used to substitute the meat are black-pepper sauced minced meat, spicy tuna, shredded
Beef Rendang Rendang ( ; ) is a Minang dish originating from the Minangkabau region in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It has spread across Indonesian cuisine to the cuisines of neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the ...
, grilled salmon and
Instant noodle Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash frying cooked noodles, and this is ...
. The popular common instant noodle toppings being used are
Indomie Indomie is a brand of instant noodle produced by the Indonesian company Indofood. Indofood itself is the largest instant noodle producer in the world with 16 factories. Over 15 billion packets of Indomie are produced annually. Indomie is also ...
and Samyang spicy noodle. Mozzarella cheese are sprinkled outside the fried Martabak and then torched to get a melty consistency. File:Martabak ingredients.JPG, Ingredients of martabak File:Making martabak telur.jpg, The making of egg martabak File:Murtabak Raja Kelantan.jpg, Murtabak Raja Kelantan File:Martabak telur Palembang.jpg, Martabak HAR from
Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...
File:YosriMurtabak.jpg, Murtabak in Malaysia


Sweet

Another variety of martabak is called ''martabak manis'' (sweet martabak), also known by the name ''
Terang Bulan "Terang Bulan" () is a traditional Indonesian song. This song is an adaptation based on the song named "La Rosalie". History The song was a traditional folk song adapted from the popular French melody of La Rosalie. Following the popularity of t ...
'' or ''Martabak Bangka''. This naming however, is only valid in Indonesia, since the identical folded thick pancake is called ''
apam balik '' Apam balik'' () also known as ''Martabak Manis'' (),, ''terang bulan'' (), peanut pancake or ''mànjiānguǒ'' (), is a sweet dessert originating in Fujian cuisine which now consists of many varieties at specialist roadside stalls or resta ...
'' instead in Malaysia. Despite sharing the same name (because they are both folded), the cooking method, dough (which uses yeast and baking soda), and the ingredients (usually vanilla extract is added as essence) are different from egg martabak, giving it a consistency more like a crumpet. While it is baked on a pan, the sweet martabak is spread with butter or margarine, sugar, crushed peanuts, chocolate sprinkles, cheese or other toppings. Before serving, the martabak is folded in half, so the toppings get in the middle of martabak. In parts of Indonesia, egg martabak may also be called ''Martabak
Malabar Malabar may refer to the following: People * Malabars, people originating from the Malabar region of India * Malbars or Malabars, people of Tamil origin in Réunion Places * Malabar Coast, or Malabar, a region of the southwestern shoreline o ...
'' to distinguish it from sweet martabak. There are many new varieties of ''martabak manis'', including the addition of green tea powder ( matcha), cream cheese, Oreo, and chocolate candies such as Kit Kat,
Ovomaltine Ovaltine (also known by its original name Ovomaltine) is a brand of milk flavoring product made with malt extract (except in the blue packaging in the United States), sugar (except in Switzerland), and whey. Some flavors also have cocoa. Ovaltin ...
, Toblerone and Nutella. Aside from that, durian fruits are often used as a topping. When ordering Martabak Manis, some stall offer two choice of
margarine Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...
:
Blue Band The Pennsylvania State University Marching Blue Band, known generally as the Blue Band, is the marching band of Pennsylvania State University. Founded in 1899, it is the largest recognized student organization at the University Park campus o ...
margarine or Wijsman butter. The Wijsman butter is more costly compared to Blueband margarine as the Wijsman is made by 100% cow milk fat.


See also

*
Saudi Arabian cuisine Saudi Arabian cuisine (Arabic: المطبخ العربي السعودي) encompasses the cuisines and foods of Saudi Arabia. In spite of the existence of many common dishes, Saudi Arabian dishes vary between regions as the culture itself varies ...
*
Yemeni cuisine Yemeni cuisine is distinct from the wider Middle Eastern cuisines, but with a degree of regional variation. Although some foreign influences are evident in some regions of the country (with Ottoman cuisine, Ottoman influences showing in Sanaa, w ...
*
Malaysian cuisine Malaysian cuisine consists of cooking traditions and practices found in Malaysia, and reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. The vast majority of Malaysia's population can roughly be divided among three major ethnic groups: Mala ...
* Singaporean cuisine *
Indonesian cuisine Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 popula ...
* Indian cuisine * List of pancakes * List of stuffed dishes * Mamak stall * Okonomiyaki * Roti canai


Notes


References

* Retno Savitri. ''Masakan & Jalanan Favorit: Kumpulan Resep.'' — Jakarta: Better Book Niaga Swadaya Group, 2008. — 305 p. — * Husni Rasyad, Retnowati, Eddy SL. Purba. ''Peluang Bisnis Makanan Berbasis Tepung.'' Jakarta: PT Elex Media Komputindo, 2003. — 177 p. * John Dean. ''Rahasia Sukses Usaha Kecil dan Menenggah (UGM) Martabak Manis'' — Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2007 * Hamza Bogary. ''The Sheltered Quarter: A Tale of a Boyhood in Mecca.'' — Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1991. — 121 p. —


External links


The Culinary Kingdom

Photos of Arabic mutabbaq being prepared

Saudi Style Mutabbaq Recipe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutabbak Acehnese cuisine Arabic words and phrases Bruneian cuisine Indonesian breads Indonesian fusion cuisine Indonesian pancakes Javanese cuisine Kue Malay cuisine Malaysian breads Malay words and phrases Padang cuisine Pancakes Saudi Arabian cuisine Singaporean cuisine Street food in Indonesia Stuffed dishes Yemeni cuisine