Surinamese bami is tasty, quick to prepare and full of flavor. It is a delicious dish that you can easily put on the table during the week. With juicy chicken, warm spices, and a little sweetness from Kecap manis, this is a meal that you almost always want to have a second plate of.
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How to Make Flavorful Surinamese Bami at Home
This bami is different from the well-known bami goreng. Surinamese bami has a mix of flavors from different cuisines, such as Indonesian, Chinese, and Indian cuisine. The result? You can taste this melting pot of flavors.
Traditionally, this dish is made with egg noodles, but spaghetti is also a great alternative. The bami gets its unique flavor from herbs such as trassie (shrimp paste), five-spice powder, and ginger. With a hint of sweetness from Kecap manis, it is a real friend to everyone. Ideal if you want to make something tasty and quick!
What do you need?
Do you use spaghetti or egg noodles for Surinamese bami?
Both are possible! Egg noodles are traditional, but spaghetti works just as well and is often used.
What is trassie (shrimp paste)?
Trassie is a paste of fermented shrimp. It smells strong and gives your dish a savory (umami) flavor. Only use a small amount; otherwise, it will overpower. Can't find trassie? Then, you can use fish sauce, although it does taste slightly different.
Which Maggi bouillon cubes do you use?
Those square cubes are in Maggi's red-yellow packaging.
What do you mean by celery?
In this recipe, you use celery, a garden herb with leaves that looks like parsley but has a stronger flavor. It is not to be confused with celeriac.
Preparation
- Cook the spaghetti: Bring a large pan of water to the boil with 2 Maggi stock cubes. Cook the spaghetti until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain and mix with one tablespoon of sunflower oil, one tablespoon of soy sauce, and one tablespoon of kecap manis. Set aside.
- Make the spice base: Heat one tablespoon of sunflower oil in a wok or deep pan. Fry the onion for 1 minute and fry the garlic for half a minute. Crumble the last stock cube and add black pepper, five-spice powder, trassie, and ginger. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until the herbs smell delicious.
- Prepare the chicken and sauce: Add the chicken cubes and fry until cooked and golden brown. Stir in the tomato puree and fry for another 2 minutes. Turn the heat down and add the rest of the soy sauce, Kecap manis, and water. Let this simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Mix the spaghetti: Put the spaghetti in the wok and mix well, so that all the flavors are absorbed by the bami. Just before serving, stir the finely chopped celery into the dish.ng, stir the finely chopped celery through the bami.
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📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Ingredients
- 3 Maggi stock cubes
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 5 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Kecap Manis
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon trassie, shrimp paste
- 1 pound chicken breast, cubed 1 x 1 inch (2 x 2 cm)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup water
- 4 sprigs celery, fresh, only the leaves, finely chopped
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Fill a large pan with water and add 2 Maggi stock cubes. Bring to the boil.3 Maggi stock cubes
- Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package in the boiling water until al dente.1 pound spaghetti
- Drain the spaghetti and mix with 1 tablespoon sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon Kecap manis. Set aside.2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 5 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce, 2 tablespoons Kecap Manis
- Heat 1 tablespoon sunflower oil in a wok.
- Fry the chopped onion for 1 minute and then add the squeezed garlic. Stir-fry for half a minute.1 onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Crumble the remaining Maggi cube over the wok and add the black pepper, five-spice powder, trassie, and grated ginger. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, 1 inch fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon trassie
- Add the chicken cubes and fry until the chicken is cooked and golden brown.1 pound chicken breast
- Stir the tomato paste through the chicken and fry for another 2 minutes.2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Reduce the heat and add the remaining soy sauce, Kecap manis, and 50 ml of water. Let this simmer for a while so that the flavors are well absorbed.¼ cup water
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce in the wok. Mix everything well, so that all the spaghetti is covered with the sauce.
- Taste and, if necessary, season with more soy sauce or Kecap.
- Stir the finely chopped celery leaves through the spaghetti just before serving.4 sprigs celery
- Spoon everything onto a large plate or dish and serve immediately.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store the bami in a sealed container for a maximum of 2 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze the bami for up to 2 months. Let it defrost in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Heat in the microwave or wok with a little oil.
Nutrition
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