Exotic-spicy vegetable fritters with shrimp – Martabak ala Ampenan

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 80 g carrot(s)
• 80 g leek(s), green part only
• 1 small slice(s) of red tomato pepper
• 3 small pak choi
• 40 g celery leaves, fresh or frozen
• 80 g celery, fresh or frozen
• 4 small chili peppers, green, fresh or frozen
• 12 g salt
• 150 g water
• 4 g chicken broth (strong bouillon)
• 6 m.-sized shiitake mushroom(s), dried
• 150 g fresh brown-capped shimeji mushrooms, alternatively mushrooms
• 200 g shrimp(s), ready to eat
• 4 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 80 g soybean seedlings, alternatively mung seedlings
• 20 g ginger root, cut into fine cubes, fresh or frozen
• 20 g lemongrass, fresh or frozen
• 40 g Thai basil leaves
• 100 g cashew nuts, roasted, salted
• 2 limes, juice, alternatively lemon juice
• 300 g coconut milk, creamy, 24% fat
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 150 g wheat flour type 405
• 2 eggs, size M
• Pepper, black from the mill
• 1 pinch(s) of mace powder
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• n. B. Chicken broth (strong bouillon) to taste
• n. B. Frying oil, preferably refined peanut oil, for frying
• n. B. Sauce (spring roll sauce, Thailand), optional
• n. B. nectarine(s) for garnishing

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Indonesian vegetable fritters as they are fried in the evening as street food in Ampenan/Lombok.

This recipe yields approximately 20 medium-sized fritters. Wash the carrot, trim both ends, and peel. Using a coarse grater, grate the carrot to the required amount. Separate the green part of the leek, wash it, separate the leaves on one side, and cut them crosswise into thin strands. Wash the red tomato pepper, remove the stem and seeds, and cut the pod into small cubes. Remove the yellowed leaves from the washed bok choy. Remove the remaining leaves by cutting off the stalk. Cut the white leaves crosswise into thin strips, halve the green leaves lengthwise, and cut them crosswise into approximately 3 cm wide pieces. Wash the fresh celery, shake it dry, and pick off only the unblemished leaves, chop them, and set aside. Cut the unblemished, leafless stalks crosswise into approximately 3 mm wide rolls. Freeze any unused amount. Weigh frozen goods and let them thaw. Place the finely chopped vegetables in a bowl with salt, sprinkle with salt, and mix. Let everything stand for 15 minutes. Heat the water. Dissolve the chicken stock in it and pour over the shiitake mushrooms. Let the mushrooms soak for 30 minutes. Squeeze the stock out of the mushrooms by hand. Cut the mushroom caps into small cubes. Discard the tough stems. Remove the substrate and mycelium from the shimeji mushrooms and cut them crosswise into thin slices. Use very small shrimp whole, coarsely chop larger ones. Trim both ends of the garlic cloves, peel them, and press them through a garlic press. Wash and coarsely chop the soybean sprouts. Wash and peel the fresh ginger, and cut them crosswise into approximately 4 cm long pieces. Cut the pieces lengthwise into thin slices and cut these into strips. Cut the strips crosswise into small cubes. Weigh frozen goods and thaw them. Freeze any unused goods. Wash the fresh lemongrass, remove the tough stalk at the bottom, discard the brown and wilted leaves, and use only the white or light green parts. Cut these into thin slices. Remove the outer green leaves if necessary. Weigh and thaw frozen goods. Wash the fresh Thai basil, pluck the leaves, and roughly chop them. For the batter, roughly chop the cashew nuts in a food processor (Moulinex or similar). For the fresh lemon juice, wash 2 lemons and cut a piece lengthwise from the base of the stem. Remove the seeds and squeeze the juice by hand. Discard the empty parts and the middle part (contains bitter substances). Mix the juice with the remaining ingredients to form a smooth, heavy batter. Add coconut milk or flour, depending on the flour’s ability to swell. Transfer the salted vegetables to a fresh tea towel and squeeze vigorously. Loosen the squeezed vegetables and mix them with the batter along with the unsalted ingredients. Let the mixture ripen for about 10 minutes until it forms a martabak mix. In the meantime, peel the nectarines and remove the stones. Cut the flesh into thin slices. Depending on the flour’s ability to expand, add a little flour or coconut milk to the martabak dough. The dough has the right consistency when a martabak can be easily spread to a thickness of about 4-5 mm. If a martabak is too thick, the batter is too thick; if it is thinner, it is too runny. In both cases, the flavor will be impaired. To taste, fry a martabak and test. Add chicken stock only in moderation, as otherwise the crispy fried martabak will be too salty. Fry the martabak in plenty of oil so that the other side can also brown nicely. Add a good tablespoon of the martabak mix to the pan and spread it out to a surface about 8 cm wide. Make more flatbreads in this way, as there is room in the pan. A 30 cm pan will hold 4 flatbreads. Fry the flatbreads over medium heat until light brown on both sides. Briefly drain the oil on kitchen paper. Arrange the martabak on a serving plate and garnish. The martabak in this recipe are so seasoned that no dip is needed. Note: In Indonesia and Malaysia, martabak are known as bakwan. The martabak/bakwan from Ampenan are considered the best in all of Lombok. In my experience, they are the best in all of Indonesia, as they are almost always made without eggs or coconut milk and with fewer vegetables.