Mee Rebus

4.78 from 9 votes

Mee Rebus is a Malaysian dish of yellow noodles coated in a rich, spicy, and flavorful potato-based gravy. I love topping it with crispy prawn fritters, fried beancurd, and hard-boiled eggs, just like the way it’s served by Mamak hawkers in Penang, Malaysia. Here's an authentic, homemade recipe for you to try!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Noodles

Cuisine: Malaysian Recipes

Keyword: Mee Rebus

Servings: servings

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

1 pack yellow noodles blanched
beansprouts blanched

Spice paste for gravy:

8 dried red chillies soaked to soften
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon fennel
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10 shallots chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 inch (2 cm) ginger

Gravy

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cinnamon stick
350 gram sweet potatoes skinned, steamed and mashed
7 cups chicken stock
1 cup prawn stock
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1/2 cup coconut milk
salt to taste

Garnishings:

hard-boiled eggs shelled and halved
fried beancurd sliced
prawn fritters
fried shallots
limes
lettuce shredded

Instructions

Blend spice paste ingredients using a food processor or a blender. Set aside.
Heat a pan with oil over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick and spice paste, cooking until aromatic.
Loosen the mashed sweet potatoes with 2 cups of chicken stock, then add them to the pan. Pour in the remaining chicken stock and add the prawn stock. Stir and cook with the spice paste. Let it simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the tamarind concentrate and coconut milk, and continue simmering until the gravy thickens. Season with salt to taste.
To serve, place the noodles and beansprouts in a bowl, then garnish with hard-boiled eggs, prawn fritters, beancurd, fried shallots, shredded cabbage and lime. Serve immediately.

Notes

Source: Famous Street Food of Penang: A Guide & Cook Book - Pung Kim Ying

I always make the homemade spice paste because it’s worth the effort. It gives my mee rebus the authentic flavor I love, adding a rich depth that store-bought pastes just can’t match.
For the perfect gravy texture, I always use orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. I don’t use other types of sweet potatoes like purple or white-fleshed ones because they don’t thicken the gravy as well and can affect the flavor and texture.
If the gravy is too thick, I add a bit more stock or coconut milk. If it’s too thin, let it simmer a little longer to thicken up. It should coat the noodles perfectly without being too heavy.
I make sure to let the gravy simmer for a good 15 minutes. This allows the flavors to blend together and gives the sauce a rich, aromatic finish.

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