(Bakmi GM) (My version)
To my Indonesian readers, I am sure you are very familiar with Bakmi GM. I am very grateful that my man had his chance to try this simply delicious noodle dish while he’s in Jakarta back in March 2013 for business purpose. Mie ayam or egg noodle with chicken is a staple dish for both Indonesian and Chinese-Indonesian. As for myself, I love both style of mie ayam. They are cheap and easy to find, from the authentic street hawker until great famous chain restaurant like Bakmi GM. Let me tell you a little bit about my man’s trip to Bakmi GM. He stayed at Mangga Dua Square. I know I know, for those of you who wonder “Why there?!” trust me, that was the very first reaction I had when he told me where he’s hotel going to be. Long story short, it was recommended by one of his colleague that he’s meeting. On his last day in Jakarta, he had a little time to spare and grab something quick to eat before he headed to the airport. I never been to Mangga Dua Square. It wasn’t there when I was there but thanks to my best friend, google, I was able to locate food court in Mangga Dua Square. I suggested him to go to Bakmi GM because I know they are awesome and was sure that he will enjoy it. Since this location is not the tourist spot, the servers could not speak English. He handed me his iPhone and let me talk with the nice waiter. I ordered him the famous mie ayam with side of wonton soup. Thirty minutes and Rp. 20,000.00 later, my man was totally satisfied with it.
Few months later, sometimes in June, I decided to make the replica of Bakmi GM. After hours of homemade egg noodle research, I found a winner. It was actually a combination of recipes from here and there. I did a quick research for the chicken topping and broth. The result was beyond satisfaction. My man enjoys it as much he enjoyed Bakmi GM.
Fresh egg noodle
serves 3-4
1 teaspoon baked baking soda*
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup corn starch
Mix and knead all ingredients but corn starch with stand mixer (or by hand). I normally let the mixer do the dirty job and I knead it with my hand. Knead for about 2-3 minutes until the dough smooth. Roll it into a ball shape and wrap it with cling wrap. Store it in fridge for at least 30 minutes before use.
Cut the dough ball into quarters. Work with one by one. Flatten the dough with your palm until it’s thin enough to be run into pasta machine. I roll it from setting 6-4-1. Make sure to keep the dough floured with corn starch to prevent from stinking. Repeat with the rest of dough quarters. Now you have 4 pieces of long thin egg noodle dough ready to be cut. On this picture, I used the spaghetti cutter on my pasta machine but I learned than some of the noodles were sticking together. So I decided to manually cut it with nice sharp knife is a great solution. Cook it into boiling water for a minute.
*spread baking soda on cookie sheet and bake it on 350F for 40 minutes.
Chicken topping
4 chicken thighs, skinned and boned, minced
1 can (4 oz) of mushroom, pieces and stems
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 cup water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inches ginger, minced
1/4 medium yellow onion, diced
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil*
Heat oil on medium heat, add garlic, ginger and onion. Sautee for about 2 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium high, add chicken, let it sit for a minute before stirring. Cook for another 3 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients.
To assemble the noodle, bring water to boil in large stock pot, add noodle (and/or your fave green, I like turnip greens). Cook for 90 second. Stir occasionally. Drain. Serve it in a bowl with a teaspoon of vegetable oil*. Mix well the noodle before top with the chicken.
*with pork lard is even better! I purchased a pound of pork fat at Asian grocery. Cubed it. Cooked it with 4 cloves of garlic in low heat until rendered.
Side of chicken broth – Warm up your favorite chicken broth. For this dish, I use a store-bought broth with pinch of chicken bouillon, dash of sesame oil and fish sauce, salt & pepper.
Greens – I always use turnip greens since it’s very easy to find and affordable. You can always substitute it with bokchoy, Chinese broccoli, or any of your favorite green.
A girl with HUGE appetite 