Mee Rebus
Yellow noodles in a thick, sweet-savory gravy made from sweet potato, topped with egg, bean sprouts, green chili and lime.
- prep
- 25 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total
- 55 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Mee rebus translates roughly to "boiled noodles," which undersells it. The gravy is thick, a little sweet from sweet potato, and savory from dried shrimp and fermented soybean paste, closer in texture to a sauce than a broth.
Getting the thickness right matters more than any single spice. Simmer the gravy until it genuinely coats a spoon before you call it done; a thin gravy here just tastes like a weak curry.
Part of our 20 best Singapore recipes list.
method
Boil the sweet potato in water until very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving the water, and mash it smooth.
Blend the shallots, garlic, dried shrimp and soaked chilies into a paste.
Heat the oil in a pot and fry the paste for 5 minutes until fragrant. Add the curry powder and tauchu and fry for 2 more minutes.
Stir in the mashed sweet potato, the stock and the reserved sweet potato water. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often so it does not catch on the bottom.
Season with sugar and salt. The gravy should be thick enough to coat the noodles heavily, closer to a sauce than a soup.
Divide the noodles among bowls and ladle the hot gravy generously over the top.
Top each bowl with half a boiled egg, a handful of bean sprouts, fried shallots and sliced green chili. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
chef's tips
- Sweet potato is what gives the gravy its body and faint sweetness. Do not substitute regular potato; the flavor is genuinely different.
- The gravy should coat the back of a spoon heavily. If it looks thin, simmer it longer rather than adding cornstarch, which changes the texture in the wrong way.
- Tauchu, fermented soybean paste, adds a savory depth that is hard to replace. Look for it at any Southeast Asian grocer.
- Squeeze the lime over right before eating, not while cooking. It needs to stay bright, not simmer into the gravy.