Martabak Manis

Martabak manis is a thick, leavened batter (raised with yeast, baking powder or baking soda) cooked low and slow in a heavy, lidded pan until the surface turns honeycombed with holes, then folded around melted butter, condensed milk and a filling such as chocolate, crushed peanuts or grated cheese. Its birthplace is genuinely disputed — the technique is usually credited to the Chinese-Indonesian community of Bangka Island — and the dish carries different names depending on where it's sold: martabak in Jakarta, terang bulan ("full moon," for its shape) in East Java and elsewhere in Indonesia, kue bandung around Semarang.

What it really is

Flour, egg, sugar and a little raising agent make a batter loosened until it pours like a thick pancake mix, then rested so it can puff. It goes into a hot, well-oiled round pan and cooks covered and undisturbed until the surface is riddled with small holes and the edges have set firm — the holes are the point, since they're what the melted butter and condensed milk soak into once it comes off the heat. The round is lifted onto a board, one half buttered and layered with the filling of choice, then folded into a half-moon and sliced into wedges while still warm.

The fillings, not the batter, are what a martabak cart is known for. A plain sugar-and-butter version exists, and fillings vary — chocolate, cheese, peanut and combinations of them — so peanuts belong to the peanut fillings, not to every martabak manis. Most vendors build a menu around combinations — chocolate and cheese, or peanut and condensed milk — and a cart's reputation often comes down to which pairing it does best.

How it is served

• Sliced into wedges while still warm, the filling half-melted inside the fold.
• Sold whole from night carts, cut to order and wrapped in paper for takeaway.
• Occasionally halved between two fillings, so one pancake carries two flavours side by side.
• Rarely eaten cold; the filling is meant to still be soft.

How to write it on the menu

• List the filling combinations separately, since the batter barely changes and the filling is what a guest is choosing.
• Flag the wheat, egg, milk and peanuts — the peanut declaration applies to peanut fillings, since peanut-free fillings exist — and add sesame if toasted sesame seeds are used, as in some traditional versions. Cheese made with animal rennet is not vegetarian, so don't label it vegetarian by default.
• Say whether it's sold whole or by the slice; portioning varies here more than on a standard dessert menu.