My Bakmi Addiction

Yesterday I got the best surprise ever!  I called home and my Dad was back from Indonesia. Yay!  That was the best part.  The next best thing was that he brought me home some Bakmi GM! *me jumping up and down*  This is not just any Bakmi, oh no no no.  It comes from the one and only Bakmi Gaja Mada!  He bought it right before leaving for the airport and hand-carried it home.  Harhar.  We have this routine down pat by now. :)  I get my Bakmi supply every 3-4 months... because I'm a bit spoiled like that . Teehee.  My dad's setting a good example for my hubby.  lol.  He brought home six takeaway boxes of Bakmi GM this time.  It's funny how lenient the airport staff in Jakarta is when it comes to this.  They ask you about what's in your bag, I usually just smile and sheepishly point to it while saying "Bakmi GM".  They take a look at your bag, smirk and wave you off without a second thought.  It seems to be the magic word.  It's really odd that they let you get away with it since the broth is separately packed into the box too.  I've no plans on taking that up with airport security since I happily wolfed down 2 1/2 boxes of Bakmi yesterday because of their leniency. :)  

Now what is Bakmi?  The literal translation of Bakmi is "meat noodles".  It's a wheat-based noodle that's thin, flat and yellowish.  It's then boiled, drained, cooked with a little bit of beef fat, and then topped with stir-fried chicken pieces, oyster mushrooms, and shallots in a sweet soy-sauce base.  The last component on the bowl would be the blanched pechay which is simply placed on top of the noodles.  This is served with a separate bowl of broth on the side so that you may add the broth to the noodles according to your preference.  I always put in two spoonfuls of broth in my noodles before I mix everything up.  Oh and it comes with a packet of chili sauce too.  Indonesians like their food spicy.  Chili works the same way as black pepper over there.

Bakmi GM (Gajah Mada) is waaaaay famous over there.  It's like our Jollibee.  It's huge.  Now if Bakmi GM (yes that is the name of the resto too) is Jollibee, then the Bakmi GM Special is THE Chickenjoy of Indonesia.  Now, Bakmi GM (the dish) is just Bakmi Ayam (chicken) done extremely well.  I've tried loads of other Bakmis so I'm pretty sure about this.  It's one of my favorite comfort foods.  It's something that reminds me of my childhood and of my time in Indonesia.  I used to spend my summer vacations in Jakarta while my Dad was based there.  And we did live in Malaysia for 3 years so it was easy to just cross the border and go to Indonesia.  But yeah,  I think Bakmi GM is a close second to my all-time favorite dish (which I'll be saving for another entry).

I could eat this everyday.  In fact I did eat it for two weeks straight when I visited last year.  Seriously.


~Mich :)