Blanched Noodles In Sweet Potato Based Gravy
(Vegetarian Version Included)

Photo of completed Blanched Noodles In Sweet Potato Based Gravy (Vegetarian Version Included)

Asian noodles come in many variations, ranging from quick and easy to sophisticated and time-consuming. This recipe requires some effort. The dish, "Blanched Noodles in Sweet Potato-Based Gravy", or better known as Mee Rebus, is one of numerous popular noodle dishes found in Singapore,Malaysia & Indonesia. The flavors are intensified through the combination of shallots, garlic, chillies, and other spices and herbs in an aromatic fine paste. Topping the noodles is a thick, flavorful, mild spicy sweet potato gravy, along with some garnishing.

Ingredients A

  • 3 Shallots ( or 1/4 cut of red/white onion)
  • 5-6 Dried Red Chillies ( soak in hot water and remove the seeds)
  • 2-3 Cloves Fresh Garlic
  • 1/8-1/4 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Ginger
  • 1/4 Tablespoon Grated Fresh Lemongrass ( or 1 stalk roughly chop)
  • 1/8 Cup Dried Shrimps (for non vegetarian version) - soaked in hot water to soften
  • 1/2-1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  • 1/8 Cup Toasted Peanuts (Can be replaced with 2 Tablespoons peanut butter or omit if you have a peanut allergy)
  • 2.5 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
  • 4 Tablespoons Water(-/+ adjustable for easy blending)

Ingredients B

  • 1 Pack Fresh Yellow Noodle (blanched)
  • 3 Medium Orange Sweet Potatoes (steamed, peeled & mashed)
  • 900 ml Beef/Chicken Stock/Broth (for vegetarian use vegetable stock/broth)
  • 3-4 Cups Water (-/+ adjustable)
  • 1 Teaspoon Tamarind Paste/Juice (-/+ adjustable but not too much)-optional
  • 1.5-2 Tablespoons Fermented Bean Paste/Doenjang/Miso
  • 1/8-1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper Powder
  • 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar (-/+ adjustable or to taste)
  • Salt to taste

Ingredients For Garnishing

  • 2-3 Hard Boiled Eggs (boiled, peeled & halve)
  • 2-3 Fried Tofu (thick sliced/cubed)
  • 4 Vegetable Fritters (refer to recipe here)-optional
  • 1 Cup Fresh Bean Sprouts (blanched)
  • 1 Fresh Lime (cut into wedges)
  • Some Chopped Scallions-optional
  • Fried Shallots-optional

Instructions

  1. Prepare ingredients A for blending - Peel shallots, garlic and set aside.
  2. Roughly cut softened dried red chillies and set aside.
  3. In a food processor or blender, add in peeled shallots, peeled garlic, softened cut red chillies, softened dried shrimps, chopped fresh ginger, grated fresh lemongrass, toasted peanuts, curry powder, turmeric powder, cooking oil, water and blend all these into a paste.
  4. Prepare ingredients B (blanching noodles & bean sprouts) - Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Blanch the bean sprouts for 10 seconds. Transfer it to a bowl for garnishing later.
  5. Prepare the yellow noodles according to the package instructions in the same pot of water that you used to blanch bean sprouts above. Rinse the noodles with water to stop the cooking process. Put aside in a colander.
  6. Prepare sweet potatoes - Peel and cut sweet potatoes into chunks. In a medium pot filled with water, steam sweet potatoes until they soften. Put the boiled sweet potatoes in a bowl and mash them up while they are still warm. Set it aside.
  7. Prepare hard boiled egg - boiled, peeled and halved the eggs. Set aside for garnishing later. If you have an allergy to eggs, omit them.
  8. Prepare fried tofu - Pan fry the tofu until golden brown on both sides. Set aside for garnishing later, cut into cubes or thick slices.
  9. Prepare vegetable fritters for garnishing (optional) - See vegetable fritters recipe HERE
  10. Cut the vegetable fritters into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
  11. Making the gravy & cooking the blended spice - In a 4-5-quart pot at medium heat ( no need to add cooking oil as the blended spice paste contained cooking oil that we added earlier in the blending process) stir fry the blended spice paste until aromatic for 8-10 minutes.
  12. Add beef stock/broth and water into the pot. Bring it to a boil over medium heat.
  13. Then lower the heat to medium low and add in fermented bean paste, tamarind juice,mashed sweet potatoes,sugar & white pepper powder. Stir well to combine. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.
  14. Add salt to taste at the end of the simmering.
  15. To Serve - Depending on how many you are serving, divide the blanched yellow noodles into the bowls. Add a generous amount of sweet potato gravy to each bowl. Garnish each bowl with a halved hard-boiled egg, fried tofu slices, some bite-sized vegetable fritters, lime wedges, some blanched bean sprouts, chopped scallions, and fried shallots. Before you enjoy it, squeeze the lime wedges over the noodles, and ENJOY!
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Tips & Notes

  1. This recipe comes with a vegetarian option. Omit the listed dried shrimps and use vegetable stock instead.
  2. If you dislike some of the listed garnishing ingredients, feel free to omit them.
  3. Instead of using orange sweet potatoes, you can use any sweet potato of your choice. Orange potatoes give a nice color and delicious taste to the gravy.
  4. You can use two large sweet potato over three medium-sized sweet potatoes.
  5. You can use white/red onions instead of shallots.
  6. You can use fresh red chillies instead of dried red chillies. If using dried chillies, remember to soak them in hot water until softened and remove the seeds before using.
  7. For the non-vegetarian version, soak dried shrimp in hot water to soften them before using.
  8. I used beef stock, but feel free to use chicken stock. Store-bought stock is also acceptable. Of course, you can always make your own beef or chicken stock/broth.
  9. Adjust the water in the gravy. If the gravy is too thick for your liking, add more water but don’t dilute the gravy.
  10. Adjust sugar according to your taste buds. The gravy is meant to have a slight sweet taste.
  11. Adjust salt to taste.
  12. Vegetable fritters for garnishing are optional. But if you'd like to include them, the recipe for my vegetable fritters can be found right HERE.
  13. If you cannot find toasted peanuts, replace it with peanut butter. But if you have a peanut allergy, omit the toasted peanuts.
  14. Fresh yellow noodles can be found in most Asian grocery stores in Chinatown, but if you cannot find these noodles, you can replace them with thick spaghetti noodles.
  15. If you cannot find fermented soybean paste, you can use Miso or Korean bean paste Doenjang.
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