Javanese Bami (Surinamese)

“Javaanse Bami” (Dutch translation) is a typical dish in Suriname. Bami (or bakmi) is an Indonesian type of noodles, however we have always used regular spagetti noodles in my family and it tastes just fine.

Another name for this dish is “Bami Goreng” which is simply Indonesian for stir-fried noodles. Our recipe is quite different from most Bami Goreng recipes, because we don’t add meat and vegetables. There is a huge variety of Asian stir-fried noodle recipes, including Thai and Chinese, which we may add to this site later on.

Depending on your mood for cooking or eating, you can enjoy this dish by itself, or add some Javanese Chicken to make it complete.

200 gram bami or noodles (cooked, but firm)

0,5 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

black pepper

2 tbsp celery or parsley

1 bouillon cube

2 salam leaves

1 tbsp dried shrimp (soaked) – optional

3 tbsp oil

1-2 tbsp soy sauce (salted)

Boil water with salt and oil to cook the bami (firm or “al dente“). Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water or toss with some oil to prevent it from sticking.

Heat the oil, fry the onion for a few minutes, add the garlic, black pepper, salam leaves, bouillon cube, half of the celery, soy sauce, and the dried shrimp. Quickly stir fry, before adding the noodles. Using large forks, turn the bami over, add more soy for an even light brown color, turn over again. Taste the bami to make sure it has enough salt and add more salt or soy sauce if necessary. Add black pepper for more of a “kick” if desired. Sprinkle the rest of the celery over the bami, turn over one more time before turning off the heat.

Serve the bami with Javanese Chicken, pickled cucumbers and some Javanese hot sauce.

Selamat Makan!  Enjoy!