Bami Goreng

I saw Valerie Bertinelli cook this on food t.v. and it looked pretty good so I put it on my "to make" list as I love noodle dishes.  I liked the story of it being Eddie Van Halen's (R.I.P.) favorite dish his mom made and her learning it from Mrs. Van Halen for him.  If you google "bami goreng", there are oodles of variations/recipes on this dish.  Most said chicken and/or shrimp is used, not pork.  I don't know if this is her version or Eddie's moms the way she was taught?  Anyway, I had to make some edits using what I had at home.

Ketjap Sambal:

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1-inch knob fresh ginger, grated 
• 1 jalapeno, minced with seeds and innards
• 1/4 cup organic unrefined coconut sugar 
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1/4 cup Ketjap Manis (because I had some in the fridge)

Bami Goreng:

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1 thinly sliced sweet Walla Walla onion  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1-inch knob fresh ginger, minced 
• 1 thinly sliced yellow bell pepper 
• 1 pork tenderloin, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds and halved crosswise 
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage 
• 250 gram bag of salad containing crisp romaine lettuce, savoy cabbage, broccoli, green onion, and carrots
• 1 heaping tablespoon "Sambal Oelek", or to taste
• 8 ounces spaghettini, broke in half, cooked to package directions (I had some angel hair to make the quantity up)
• 2 limes, one for wedges, one for juicing
• Roughly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish

For the ketjap sambal: Heat the oil in a small saucepot over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, ginger and jalapeno and sauté until fragrant but not yet browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the coconut sugar, soy, five-spice powder and 1/4 cup water. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce reduces and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.  I added the ketjap manis here.  

For the bami goreng: Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until softened. 

Add the bell pepper. Sprinkle the pork tenderloin with salt & pepper and add it to the pan; cook until browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Add the salad mix and red cabbage, stir in the sambal oelek, and then deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup water. 

Cook 2 for 3 minutes, until the water is evaporated. Finally, add in the cooked spaghetti and half of the ketjap sambal.  

Remove from heat.  Drizzle with the remaining ketjap. Add a squeeze of lime (I squeezed a whole lime) and mixed.  Garnish with cilantro. Serve with extra lime wedges on the side.

This was a nice mix of sweet, heat, citrus, cabbage crunch and comforting carbs.  Taste and textures were pleasing.  We enjoyed it with the "other white meat" and I really liked the cilantro finish, an absolute necessity as far as I'm concerned...I think mushrooms would have been a fine addition as well.