Exotically Spicy Vegetable Pancakes with Peanuts – Martabak Ala Ampenan

Note:

1. The recipe makes about 20 pieces.

The carrot:

1. Wash the carrot, cap both ends and peel. Using a coarse grater, grate the carrot to the required amount.

The cabbage leaves:

1. Use only flawless leaves for white cabbage. Wash the leaves. Only use the middle rib if it doesn’t taste bitter. Cut the rib crosswise into thin slices, chop the leaves into small pieces.

The little red onions:

1. Cap the small, red onions at both ends, peel them and slice them into thin slices. Tip: a small cut (see arrows) on the edges makes peeling easier.

The garlic:

1. Cap the fresh garlic cloves at both ends, peel them and press them through a garlic press.

The hot peppers:

1. Remove the stems from the peppers, wash them, cut open lengthways, fold open, core and cut across into thin threads.

The flower cabbage:

1. Wash the cauliflower, cap the stems approx. 2 cm at the bottom, separate the leaves and flowers. Cut the stems crosswise into thin rolls. Chop the flowers and leaves into small pieces.

The white radish:

1. Wash the radish, cap at both ends and peel. Using a coarse grater, grate the radish to the required amount.

Salt the vegetables:

1. Put the chopped vegetables in a bowl. Mix well, sprinkle with the salt and mix in. Let it steep for 15 minutes.

The soybean seedlings:

1. Wash the fresh soybean seedlings, sort them, discard the brown ones and use the white ones whole. Weigh the required amount. Note: Soy seedlings have a stronger taste than mung seedlings and should be preferred.

The ginger threads:

1. Wash the fresh ginger, peel it and cut it crosswise into pieces approx. 4 cm long. Cut the pieces lengthways into thin slices and cut them into thin strips. Weigh and thaw frozen goods.

The lemongrass:

1. Wash the fresh lemongrass, remove the hard stalk at the bottom, remove the brown and withered leaves and only use the white or light green parts. Cut this into thin slices. Remove the outer, green leaves if necessary. Weigh frozen goods and allow to thaw.

The green chillies:

1. Wash the small, green chillies and cut them crosswise into thin slices. Leave the grains in place, discard the stem.

Lime juice:

1. For the fresh lime juice, wash a lime and cut off a piece lengthways to the right and left of the stem base. Core the sections and press out by hand. Discard the empty sections and the middle section (contains bitter substances).

The peanuts:

1. Coarsely chop the peanuts in a cutter (Moulinex, coffee grinder with hammer mechanism or similar). (Unsalted and salted ones can be used).

The vegetable water:

1. Transfer the salted vegetables to a fresh tea towel. Squeeze the salty vegetable water (approx. 140 g) and keep it ready for the dough.

The dough:

1. Mix all ingredients for the dough homogeneously into a smooth dough mass. It should have a creamy, liquid consistency.

From dough to Martabak mix:

1. Loosen the pressed vegetables, add to the batter together with the soy seedlings, ginger threads, lemongrass and chillies and mix gently. Let the Martabak mix mature for about 10 minutes. Add a little flour or vegetable water depending on the swellability of the flour. The dough has the right consistency if a Martabak can be easily spread to a thickness of approx. 4 – 5 mm. With thicker ones, the dough is too thick, with thinner ones, too thin. In both cases the taste is impaired.

From Martabak mix to Martabak:

1. The Martabak are baked in plenty of oil, so that the 2nd side can also turn nice and brown. Put a good tablespoon full of Martabak mix in the pan and widen it to an area of ​​approx. 8 cm. As much as there is space in the pan, continue to make flatbreads like this (4 pieces fit in a 30 mm pan). Bake the flatbread on both sides until light brown. Let the oil drain briefly on kitchen paper.

Serve:

1. Arrange on a serving plate and garnish. In this recipe, the Martabak are so seasoned that you don’t need any dip to consume.

Annotation:

1. Martabaks are sold fresh and hot on Lombok with green chili peppers and a sweet, red sambal sauce. For the European palate, I recommend a sweet chili sauce or a creamy herbal quark. In Indonesia and Malaysia, the martabaks are known as bakwan. The Martabak / Bakwan from Ampenan are considered to be the best in Lombok. In my experience, they are the best in all of Indonesia, because otherwise they are almost always made without eggs or coconut milk and with fewer vegetables.