Bakmi

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Bakmi

Bakmi is literally translated to English as "noodles". Bakmi was brought to Indonesia by Chinese merchants, and is today a common dish especially in Indonesian Chinatowns. The dish has also been further developed to more closely align with Indonesian tastes. The thickness of bakmi is in between Chinese style noodles and Japanese Udons, and there are several variants of bakmi in Indonesia.

The most common bakmi in Indonesia is a wheat based noodle, bakmi kuning, or 'yellow noodles'. A second common type is kwetiaw which is made out of rice, and which is flatter and wider than bakmi. Both variations are generally fried or cooked for use in soups.

[edit] Preparation

When bakmi are intended for use in soup, they are usually boiled separately from the broth. The noodles are usually oiled with a either pork fat or beef fat. They are then served with toppings that vary from chicken to bok choy or bakso (meatballs). The soup is served in a different bowl, and is added to the noodles by the individual diner according to taste.

Bakmi are also fried. Most fried bakmi are boiled first then stir-fried with vegetables, sweet soy sauce and meat. However, there is an exception for "I fu Mie", which are bakmi that are deep fried then topped with vegetables, meat and gravy.

The words Mie and Bami, used in Dutch come from Bakmi and were introduced into the Dutch language during the Dutch colonial period in Indonesia. Indonesian food is very popular in the Netherlands and Bami is one of the more popular dishes.