Balmi – An Easy and Healthy Meal

This is a great dinner recipe that was passed on to me from a friend of a friend. I believe it is originally from Indonesia. It’s an easy and healthy recipe that the whole family enjoyed! You can probably tell from this recipe that creating Balmi is not an exact science. Enjoy!

Ingredients

(Quantities below serve 6)

• Bacon (cut up) – 1lb or ½ lb depending on taste

• Pork (cubed) – About equal to bacon

•Soy Sauce – 4 tablespoons (start there – add more if needed)

• Sugar – 4 teaspoons ( again, adjust according to taste)

• Garlic powder – 2 teaspoons (you can also used minced garlic or pureed garlic but don’t use garlic salt)

• Red pepper flakes – 1-2 teaspoons (depending on how hot you like it – I don’t like any spice whatsoever, so I eliminated this; diners could sprinkle chili flakes on their own portions for heat according to taste)

• Spaghetti – Measure out by number of people being served.

• Red/Green peppers (diced) – 1 Cup of each. I substituted snow peas and broccoli for the green pepper; you can use any stir-fryable veggie you like, but avoid onions as they completely change the flavour of the finished meal.

Method

1. Marinate the pork and bacon in the soy sauce, pepper flakes, garlic and sugar. You should marinate for at least 20 minutes.

2. Chop veggies as if for a stir fry.

3. Break the spaghetti into thirds and cook according to the package directions. Breaking the spaghetti is important because it helps the balmi mix properly when all combined at the end of the process.

4. Cook the marinated meat mixture, together with the marinade, in a wok or large skillet on medium-high heat. Stir often to avoid burning or sticking to the pan.

5. After 5-10 minutes the sugar will begin to caramelize and the bacon fat will start to thicken into a sauce. Add your veggies at this point and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until they are tender-crisp.