Bami Goreng

Bami Goreng are fried noodles from Indonesia, where they are called Mi Goreng. But what makes fried noodles a Bami Goreng ? First of all the noodles, for Bami Goreng Mee noodles, also called Bami noodles made from wheat flour are used. We saw a few recipes, which use glass noodles or even rice noodles, but then the dish will not be Bami Goreng. In Indonesia is mostly the sweet soy sauce, Ketjap Manis (Kecap Manis) used to season this stir-fry dish, alternatively use light soy sauce, in Indonesia called Kecap Asin (Ketjap Asin). Tamarind paste is added for a bit of sourness and to spice Bami Goreng up season with Sambal Oelek or Sambal Manis. What kind of vegetables You`ll add is finally up to Your taste. Another specific quality to isolate Bami Goreng from other fried Noodle dishes, like the Thai Pad Mee, is the combination of meat or poultry with shrimps (prawns). Bami Goreng is best fried in a wok and shouldn`t be confused with Nasi Goreng, which is Indonesian fried rice. Goreng means fried, Bami (Mee, Mi) means wheat flour noodles and Nasi means rice.

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Image: Bami Goreng

Recipe: Indonesian fried noodles – Bami Goreng
Ingredients for 2-3 servings:
oil to fry
250 g fresh or dried Mee noodles
200 g meat (pork, beef or chicken)
2-3 fresh shrimps per person, peeled and deveined
(see: How to devein shrimps)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or in finely sliced
1 red onion, in fine slices
1-2 Bok Choy (Pak Choi), roughly chopped
1 small carrot in fine stripes
4-5 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3-4 straw mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1 small bellpepper (red or yellow), in fine stripes
100 ml Asian chicken broth
2 tablespoons Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 EL tablespoon tamarind paste
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
Pre-cook dried Mee noodles and drain them. Heat oil in a wok and fry shrimps and garlic until done, then set the shrimps aside and fry meat or poultry, onion and mushrooms. Add noodles and other vegetables and stir-fry for a few minutes, deglaze with chicken broth and add Ketcap Manis, tamarind paste and Sambal Oelek and mix well. Season with black pepper and serve with Kecap Manis and Sambal Oelak as condiments.