My family used to run a coffee shop in Geylang and one of our best seller was Mee Rebus. We got the recipe from a Nyonya bibik that also taught us to make Mee Siam, and many other breakfast classics. My mom got to learn this and managed to replicate it with gusto. I am just trying to recreate the same.

The savoury sauce is made from sweet potatoes. Many traditional recipe asks for a beef stock for making the sauce, we have changed that because Buddhists will not be able to consume the mee rebus if such is the case.

Also we have used ready-made rempah (wet spice mix) for mee rebus instead of making it from scratch. Try the different brands and see which one you like. Alternatively, you can prepare your own rempah (instructions below).

Ingredients （材料）

• 600 g yellow noodles, blanched（600克黄色面，烫熟）
• 250 g beansprouts, lightly blanched （250克豆芽，烫熟）

Ingredients for gravy: （汤汁材料）

• 500 g sweet potatoes （500克红番薯）- if you are using really high quality Japanese sweet potato, you may skip the next ingredient*, remember to use the yellow flesh type, not the purple ones
• *1 tablespoon gula melaka （1汤匙黑糖，切碎）- optional for the healthy conscious, necessary if you can’t find sweet potato and use potato instead
• 1 large tomato， chopped （1颗番茄，切碎）
• 1 stalk lemongrass cut into 3 pieces long and bruise lightly （1棵香茂，切成3块，捶扁）
• 3 tablespoons oil （3汤匙油）
• salt for seasoning （盐，调味）

Rempah – to blend（香料, 搅和）

If you want to make everything from scratch, then you need to prepare the mee rebus rempah.

• 2 red onions （2红洋葱）
• 7 cloves garlic （7瓣大蒜）
• 3 cm ginger （3公分姜）
• 40 g ikan bilis rinse and drain dry （40克江鱼仔，冲洗并沥干）
• 40 g dried shrimps soak in water for 10 minutes (40克虾米, 浸泡在水中10分钟）
• 3 stalks lemongrass （3香茅）
• 3 cm galangal (3公分高良姜)
• 3 tablespoons fermented soya beans （3汤匙豆瓣酱）
• 4 tablespoons meat curry powder （4汤匙煮肉的咖喱粉）

Ingredients for the garnishing （配料）

• Some udang geragau, rinse and drain, fried and set aside（晒干的虾皮，洗净、沥干、干炒、预用）
• 2 pieces beancurd firm, pan fried and cut into cubes （豆腐，煎了切成块）
• calamansi or lime, cut into half（酸干，切成一半）
• boiled eggs cut into halves（水煮蛋，切半）
• 3 green chillies sliced （3个青辣椒，切成小块）
• fried shallots homemade or store bought（炸葱， 随意）
• chopped parsley or Chinese celery （莞荽、中国芹菜，切碎）
• kicup mani (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) （印尼甜酱油）
• sambal (chili sauce) （自制辣椒酱）optional

Instructions 方法

• Heat up the wok with 3 tablespoons of oil. 在一个炒锅里，热3汤匙油。
• Transfer the rempah and the lemongrass into the wok and fry till fragrant about 10 to 15 minutes. 倒入酱料和香茅, 翻炒大概10-15分钟直到释放香味。
• Add around 2 cups of water, boil. 加入两杯清水，拌匀、煮滚。

• Add the sweet potatoes, chopped tomato into sauce and boil. 倒入番薯、番茄，煮熟。

• Blend the cooked sweet potato and tomato into sauce to thicken the gravy. Use a hand blender if you have one, if not, you may steam the sweet potato separately until soft and mash it. 用搅拌器把番薯、番茄搅拌均匀融入汤汁里面。如果没有搅拌器，可以预先蒸熟番薯、蒸软后打成薯泥。再搅拌进汤汁。
• (Optional) Add potato starch to thicken further if desired. 用马铃薯粉勾芡、加入适当芡汁直到卤汁达到您喜欢的浓度。

Put some beansprouts and yellow egg noodles in the bowl. Pour hot gravy to cover the beansprouts and yellow noodles. Ensure that the grave covers the beansprouts and noodles. Top some fried shallots, parsley/celery, green chilli, firm bean curd cubes, egg and fried udang geragau and calamansi/lime. Serve immediately.

把烫熟的豆芽和黄蛋面放在碗里。倒入热卤汁，足够盖着豆芽和黄面。加上一些炸葱、莞荽、青辣椒、豆腐块、鸡蛋、虾皮和酸干，即可食用。