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1
Cook the Noodles
8 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Boil the dried wheat noodles in a large pot of water for about 6 minutes until just tender, a little firmer than you would eat them. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking, and toss with a teaspoon of the oil so the strands do not stick.
Undercook the noodles slightly — they finish cooking in the wok and go soft if they start out fully cooked.
Done when: Noodles that are tender but still springy, with no hard white centre.
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2
Fry the Omelette & Slice It
4 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Heat a little oil in a small pan, pour in the beaten eggs and cook for about 2 minutes until just set, then flip or fold and cook 1 minute more. Slide the omelette onto a board, roll it up and slice into thin strips.
Cook the omelette thin and pale — it is a garnish, not a thick omelette, and brown edges look wrong against the dark noodles.
Done when: A thin, pale-yellow omelette that slices into neat ribbons.
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3
Brown the Chicken
7 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~190°C (375°F); chicken to 74°C (165°F)
Heat the remaining oil in a large wok or wide pan until it shimmers. Add the chicken strips in one layer and fry for about 5 minutes, turning once, until browned at the edges and cooked right through to 74°C (165°F) in the thickest piece. Lift the chicken out and set it aside.
Do not crowd the pan — chicken that steams instead of frying stays pale and the wok loses its heat.
Done when: Browned strips with no pink inside and clear juices.
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4
Soften the Vegetables
4 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
In the same wok, fry the onion, spring onion whites, garlic and ginger for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the pepper strips, carrot matchsticks and peas and fry for 2 minutes more, keeping them crisp.
Keep the vegetables moving and the heat up — they should stay bright and crisp, not stew soft.
Done when: Peppers still bright, carrots just bendable, peas hot through.
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5
Toss the Noodles in Ketjap
5 Mins
High heat, ~200°C (400°F)
Return the chicken to the wok, add the drained noodles, pour over the ketjap manis and soy sauce, and add the sambal if you are using it. Toss everything constantly for about 4 minutes until the noodles are evenly dark, glossy and steaming hot.
Lift and turn the noodles from underneath rather than stirring in circles — that coats every strand without breaking them.
Done when: Noodles evenly dark brown and glossy, with no pale patches and no sauce pooling at the bottom.
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6
Rest & Serve
2 Mins
Resting, ~60°C (140°F) or above
Take the wok off the heat, fold in the spring onion greens and celery leaves, and let the bami rest for 1 minute. Divide between four plates and lay the omelette strips over the top.
The short rest lets the sauce settle into the noodles instead of sliding to the bottom of the plate.
Done when: A steaming mound of dark noodles topped with golden omelette ribbons.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Scatter the celery leaves and spring onion greens over the hot noodles, top each plate with omelette strips, and serve at once with atjar on the side.
Suriname
1h 30m
France
Vietnam