RECIPE 4: Bami 🇬🇫

This delicious meal would be great with some Scotch Bonnet chilli or Pineapple chilli 🌶 🍍

First, for the spaghetti:
Ingredients:
– 250g to 500g of Spaghetti for 1 or 2 plates of Bami

1. Boil water in a pot then pour your (uncut) spaghetti into the boiling water for 6 minutes, for an Al Dente cooking stage.
2. Pour cold (icy) water onto the spaghetti after draining them of their hot and starch-y water to stop the cooking.
3. Add half of a chicken stock cube (or vegetable stock in cube, if you prefer) into the cold water
4. Sprinkle the spaghetti and cold water with some generous amount of Ground ginger
5. You can start heating a wok or large frying pan with 3 tablespoons of oil
6. Stir-fry some finely cut onions, celery and last crushed garlic until golden
7. Pour some dark soy sauce (45ml) and 2 chicken stock cubes, crushing them into the soy sauce. Add a teaspoon of sugar (brown is best, caster if this is what you have). Stir until the sauce thicken
9. Grab your soaking spaghetti (still dripping with some water – to finish cooking them fully) and throw them into this thick dark soy sauce
10. Stir fry until there is no more liquid to sustain the spaghetti in the heat.
11. Off the heat, sprinkle your spaghetti with finely cut parsley, spring onions and a “egg pancake”

Next, for the cucumber pickle:
Ingredients:
– a large cucumber finely cut into thin slices
– half of an onion diced
– Salt & White pepper
– finely cut parsley
– a small piece of hot pepper scotch bonnet
– caster sugar (2 tablespoon for a full cucumber)
– white vinegar (30ml)

Mix all ingredients in the order above then let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, to soften the cucumber.

Then, for the chicken:
Ingredients:
– chicken (whichever parts you prefer – chicken thigh is great), seasoned as you usually do but add 2 tablespoon of honey in the seasoning just before cooking.
1. Stir Fry your chicken in oil and cut celery, adding a tablespoon of the seasoning (mixed with more water if not enough) to stop it from sticking and burning in the pot. Avoid any pouring of large quantity of water, as you will achieve a boiled chicken rather than a “fricassé” chicken, which is tastier!
2. Once cooked to your liking (usually after stir-frying for 10 minutes straight on high heat), pour some cornflour mixed with water to thicken your sauce – very optional.
3. Off the heat, add onions, parsley, spring onions (the heat will soften these herbs)

Your Bami is ready!

Three ingredients that will completely change the taste, if missing:
– celery give a nice taste and smell to the bami or nassi (its rice counterpart)
– chicken stock is vital to the spaghetti and chicken. It is best to stir fry your chicken using the same soy sauce/chicken stock/celery/sugar combo that you did with the spaghetti.
– ground or fresh ginger in the spaghetti and chicken… galangal, if you have any.
Note: Fresh ginger or galangal is stir-fried with the spaghetti or chicken. Ground or powder ingredient is poured in the cold water for the spaghetti or in the seasoning for the chicken.