Recipe: Chinese bami goreng from the Chinese-Indonesian cuisine

Chinese-Indonesian restaurants have been a widespread phenomenon in the Netherlands for more than seventy years. Who doesn’t have childhood memories of the local Chinese restaurant? In the Chin. Ind. Rest. cookbook, all the classic recipes from the Chinese-Indonesian restaurant Fook Sing in Amsterdam have been recorded, from babi pangang to a perfect bami goreng like this one. 

The original bami as it is eaten in Hong Kong is made with eggs and is narrower and thinner than the bami you know from Chinese-Indonesian cuisine. You often encounter this bami under the name ‘tjauw mien’ in Javanese and Surinamese cuisine. It has a darker colour due to the addition of light soy sauce combined with dark soy sauce. For this recipe, we’ve kept it vegetarian, but you can add pieces of chicken or char siu, or extra vegetables such as Shanghai bok choy.

How to make Chinese bami goreng

• Cook the Chinese egg noodles according to the instructions on the package. Drain, place the noodles on a flat dish, add 2 tablespoons of oil and cover with a clean tea towel. Because you have covered the noodles, they continue to steam a little and develop more ‘springiness’. Allow them to cool thoroughly before using them further.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of neutral oil in a wok and add the beaten eggs. As soon as the eggs start to set a little, add the noodles. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently stir-fry the noodles until hot, about 4 minutes. Add the vegetables, except for the bean sprouts, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Season with the salt, MSG and soy sauce, then add the bean sprouts. You only want to stir-fry bean sprouts briefly so they stay nice and crunchy.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Mix everything well.
• Spoon the Chinese bami goreng onto a serving plate and add some sambal to taste, if desired.

Title: Chin. Ind. Rest.
Authors: Danny Lee, Ka Fai Lee, Sun Li & Yan Ting Yuen
Price: €38,99
Publisher: Nijgh & Van Ditmar

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