Mee Rebus (Malaysian Noodles in Sweet Potato Spiced Gravy)

About This Recipe

Mee rebus — literally 'boiled noodles' — is a Malaysian comfort dish with Javanese roots, most associated with the Javanese immigrant community in Johor and Singapore. The defining element is the gravy: a thick, almost velvet-textured sauce built from sweet potato puree, beef broth, dried shrimp paste, and aromatic spices — not too spicy, not too sweet, with a savory depth that draws you into the bowl. Yellow egg noodles are bathed in this gravy and topped with crispy fried tofu, hardboiled egg, fresh green chilies, lime, and sambal. The result is a bowl of contrasts — soft noodles against crunchy garnishes, rich gravy against sharp lime and fresh chili — that explains why it remains one of Malaysia's most-loved everyday dishes from hawker centres to home kitchens.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gfresh yellow egg noodles (or dried, cooked per packet)
• 300 gorange sweet potato, peeled, cubed, boiled until very soft
• 500 mlbeef or chicken broth
• 200 mlwater
• 6shallots, peeled
• 3 clovesgarlic
• 3 cmfresh ginger
• 2red chilies
• 1 tspbelacan (shrimp paste), toasted
• 2 tspMalaysian curry powder
• 1 tbspdried shrimp (udang kering), soaked and drained
• 2 tbspneutral oil
• 2 tbspkecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspsugar
• 4hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 100 gfirm tofu, cubed and fried golden
• 2fresh green chilies, sliced, for garnish
• 2limes, halved, for serving
• 4 tbspsambal oelek, for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the spice paste

   Blend shallots, garlic, ginger, fresh chilies, belacan, and dried shrimp into a fine paste.

2. 2

   Fry the paste

   Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry spice paste 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and darkened.

3. 3

   Add curry powder and broth

   Add curry powder and stir 1 minute. Add broth and water. Bring to a boil.

4. 4

   Blend in sweet potato

   Add boiled sweet potato to the broth. Use an immersion blender until completely smooth and gravy is thick. Simmer 5 minutes.

   Blend until no lumps remain for the silkiest texture.

5. 5

   Season

   Add kecap manis, salt, and sugar. Taste — the gravy should be sweet, savory, and mildly spiced.

6. 6

   Blanch noodles

   Blanch yellow noodles in boiling water 1-2 minutes until just tender. Drain and divide among four bowls.

7. 7

   Assemble

   Ladle hot gravy generously over noodles. Top with fried tofu, halved egg, and fresh green chilies. Serve sambal and lime on the side.

Variations

• •

  Mee siam: the Malay version with a thinner, tangy tamarind-based gravy and rice vermicelli.

• •

  Seafood mee rebus: add shrimp and fish balls alongside the egg for a more lavish bowl.

• •

  Vegan version: replace belacan with miso and use vegetable stock.

Storage

Gravy keeps refrigerated up to 3 days; noodles stored separately. Reheat gravy on the stovetop with a splash of water, stirring to recombine.

Frequently Asked Questions