Recipe: Donnie’s bamischijf

Wordsmith Donnie aka De Fenomeen has been rapping since a young age, was discovered by Vjeze Fur of De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig, and has been doing musically well ever since. Less well known is that he also has a chef’s diploma and has worked in the kitchens of various Amsterdam restaurants. So Donnie certainly knows what he’s talking about when he says: ‘If you don’t glorify life, then what’s the point?’ He wrote an accessible cookbook full of crowd pleasers and guilty pleasures that are nevertheless homemade, ‘with very little crap’.

No arguing with this: ‘it’s a bamibrick if you make it square,’ says Donnie aka De Fenomeen. ‘This is my favourite snack. If there were Olympic Games for deep-fried food, the bamischijf would definitely take the gold medal. It’s also simply delicious after a night out and it’s not such a calorie bomb.’

How to make Donnie’s bamischijf

Makes 8:

• Cut the bami into slightly smaller pieces and the spring onions into thin rings.
• Soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water.
• For the roux, take a saucepan with a thick base and gently melt the butter in it.
• Whisk in the flour and let the flour cook for a few minutes.
• Turn the heat down and keep stirring occasionally.
• Pour in the water or stock and keep stirring well with the whisk until you have a thick, smooth sauce without lumps.
• Season with ketjap and sambal and let it cook for a little longer.
• Turn off the heat, squeeze out the gelatine and stir it into the roux as well.
• Stir in the bami and spring onions, taste and add more soy sauce, sambal or ketjap if necessary.
• Pour the mixture into a shallow dish so that you have a layer two fingers thick.
• Let the mixture set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Beat the egg in a deep plate.
• Put some flour in a second plate and some breadcrumbs in a third plate.
• Cut rounds from the bami mixture using a pastry ring or glass.
• First coat the bamischijven in the flour so that all sides have a thin layer of flour.
• Then dip them in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.
• Repeat these three steps once more if you find the breadcrumb coating too thin.
• Coat all the bamischijven and place them in the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.
• Heat a pan with a thick layer of sunflower oil or heat your deep fryer to 180°C.
• Deep-fry the bamischijven until golden brown, for approximately 4 minutes.
• Turn them halfway through and drain on kitchen paper.
• Store any remaining bamischijven in the freezer with baking paper or plastic wrap between them.
• Just remember to thaw them before turning on the deep fryer.

Title: Donnie’s Cookbook
Author: Donnie
Publisher: Unieboek Spectrum
Price: €17.99

Portrait of Donnie: Daniel J. Ashes

Read also:

• Vjeze’s perfect French omelette
• Wienerschnitzel the way my father makes it
• Snackspert’s week: ‘It’s like a disappointing one-night stand’