One of the many things we miss as we’re unable to gather together in person is sharing food on Wednesday nights. So, Ellen Westrate has been asked to teach us how to make a favorite Indonesian recipe for a Wednesday night meal.
In this way we can still come together as a community over a shared meal.
Please enjoy this video segment named by Ellen’s grandson: “Cooking with Oma”.
We will be making Bami Goreng, an Indonesian stir fried noodle dish, a favorite of Ellen’s youngest daughter.
Bami Goreng
Cook Time: 45-60 minutes Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
1 Tbsp oil – canola, vegetable, or stir fry oil will work well
½ lb pork butt or boneless, skinless chicken
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp lemon pepper
2 tsp minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
2 tsp fresh grated ginger OR 2 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp galanga root powder
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
½ cup chinese celery, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped (or 1 cup of whichever celery you choose)
½ lb snow peas, halved
2 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced bok choy
¼ cup vegetable broth (or water)
½ cup green onions
¼ cup parsley OR cilantro
1 package rice noodles or egg noodles, small or medium thinness works best
2Tbsp Maggi seasoning or amino acids (measurement is a suggestion, add to taste)
¼ cup Ketjap Manis – medium sweet soy sauce or to taste (gluten free recipe below)
Optional:
1 Tbsp sambal oelek
Splash of lime juice (if used cilantro)
Splash of lemon juice (if used parsley)
Egg, scrambled, add raw egg mixture in when meat is cooked through
Directions
Heat oil in a wok or stir fry pan over medium-high heat. Add meat of choice, coriander, lemon pepper, garlic, ginger and galanga root powder. Cook until meat is heated through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Add chopped onions and carrots, cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Add celery, cook for 5 minutes more, and add in snow peas for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in napa cabbage, bok choy and vegetable broth, cook until cabbage is tender. Mix in green onions and parsley or cilantro. Reduce to medium-low heat and allow to cook through.
Boil rice noodles until tender(about five minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to avoid noodles sticking together. Stir in noodles, add maggi seasoning and ketjap manis. Heat through and let rest for a few minutes until flavors are well blended.Ingredient Choice Options
You can add or subtract different vegetables to your liking. Some other options could be mushrooms, beans (blanch 1-2 minutes prior to adding), or bell pepper.
For a vegetarian option, you can either just omit the meat or use tofu or another meat substitute in its place.
For a gluten free option use amino acids instead of Maggi seasoning. I have also added a gluten free recipe for homemade Kejap Manis.
Gluten Free Ketjap Manis Directions
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 tsp minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
2 tsp minced seeded jalapeno pepper (optional)
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup Kikkomon tamari
½ tsp five-spice powder
¼ cup water
In a small saucepan, heat canola oil over medium heat. Stir in garlic, ginger and jalapeno and saute for 2-3 minutes (don’t let it brown). Add brown sugar, tamari, five-spice powder and water. Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.