Bami Kuah
I’d never heard of this bami kuah before, but kuah means broth. I often see this bami kuah online as bami soup. However, Beb Vuyk takes a different approach and uses the broth to create a sauce thickened with cornstarch. This is a delicious bami that tastes quite different from “regular” Javanese bami.
This dish is ready in 30 minutes and serves 3 people.
Bami Kuah
Bami Koeah II (Chinese)
From Beb Vuyk’s Groot Indonesisch Kookboek, page 498.
Ingredients
- 1/4 kg noodles
- 2 chicken breasts +/- 500 grams
- 3 tablespoons raw ham
- 1 tablespoon of dried Chinese mushrooms
- 100 grams leek (only the yellow part)
- 100 grams pointed cabbage
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil
- Soak the mushrooms for at least 1 hour.
- Boil the chicken until half-cooked in lightly salted water.
- Cook the noodles (see how to cook noodles: recipe 488).
- Cut the leek into pieces of approximately 2 cm and then thinly slice lengthwise.
- Once the mushrooms are soft, chop them.
- Cut the ham into strips and shave the cabbage as finely as possible.
- Also slice the half-cooked chicken into long slices.
- Heat the oil and sauté the cabbage until it softens, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Then add the leek, mushrooms, and half the ham and cook for another minute.
- Add 3/4 liter of chicken stock and the mushroom soaking water.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in a little water and use it to thicken the sauce.
- Finish with the soy sauce.
- Place the noodles in a bowl or tureen and pour the sauce over them.
- Garnish with the remaining ham.
You can also divide the noodles among several soup bowls and then pour the sauce over them.
I didn’t choose chicken breast (fillet), but chicken thighs, because chicken thighs are much tastier than chicken breast. I hardly ever use chicken breast anymore. I think when Beb says raw ham, she does not mean cured ham, but uncooked ham. I cannot really get that here so I just use cooked ham. It is very tasty and works fine.
For noodles, I got mie with egg in it, but you can use any other option, of course. I ran out of dried shiitake mushrooms, so I just bought fresh ones. That way, you don’t have the advantage of the broth mixing the soaking liquid into the chicken broth.
I briefly cook the chicken. I do this by first boiling water in a kettle. Then I cook the chicken thighs in it with a little salt for about 3 minutes.
I sauté the cabbage in a wok, then add the leek and mushrooms. Then I add the chopped chicken (Beb forgets to mention this in her recipe), half the ham, and stir-fry briefly. Then I add three-quarters of the water the chicken was cooked in. The cornstarch mix (with a little of the chicken broth) helps thicken the broth.
Now it’s important to season it. When Beb talks about soy sauce, she always means salty soy sauce. So I add that and try to season it thoroughly (it’s easy to use too much, so keep tasting in between).
We put the noodles in bowls and spoon the “sauce” over them. It’s really delicious, and it’s also a bami that you can eat cold or make for on the go.
Want to see more Chinese noodle dishes? Then check out this delicious wonton soup.
