Mee Rebus is one of my husband’s favourite dishes and like what the proverb says: the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!! I definitely earned many brownie points cooking this noodle dish for him. (Hahaha!!)
The Mak Cik (Malay word for Aunty) whom I bought my beef from was definitely very delighted and pleased that I was going to cook Mee Rebus. She was initially stern and unfriendly till I told her what I wanted to buy the beef for. Her eyes just lightened up and she even tested me on what ingredient I was going to use. Fortunately I passed her test and she sold me some really nice beef.
Some of us might not fancy mee rebus very much BUT this recipe which I am sharing will be sure to woo you over. Those who have tasted my mee rebus can testified that it is so different from most of the mee rebus you can eat. The taste is well balanced and super-duper delicious. However, bear in mind that the preparations can be quite laborious but is worth every single moment spent.
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Serves 4 to 5 people
INGREDIENTS
600g yellow noodles (blanch)
Ingredients for the beef broth:
450g of tetelan (or beef flanks)
1cm ginger (thinly slice)
3 cloves of garlic
Salt
Ingredients for gravy:
500g of sweet potatoes
1 to 2 tablespoons of gula Melaka
1 stalk of lemongrass (cut into 3 pieces long and bruise lightly)
3 tablespoons of oil
Salt for seasoning
Sugar for seasoning (if necessary)
The following ingredients are to be blended or pounded:
2 red onions
7 cloves garlic
3cm long ginger
40g ikan bilis (rinse and drain dry)
40g dried shrimps (soak in water for 10 minutes)
3 stalks of lemongrass
3cm long galangal
3 tablespoons of fermented soya beans (taucheo)
4 tablespoons of meat curry powder
Ingredients for the garnishing:
Fresh udang geragau (or tiny shrimps) (Rinse and drain. To be fried and set aside)
2-3 pieces firm beancurd (Taufoo) (pan fried and cut into cubes)
5 calamansi or lime (cut into half)
5 boiled eggs (cut into half)
Some fried shallots (homemade or store bought)
3 green chillies (cut)
250g beansprouts (lightly blanch)
METHOD:
Preparation of the beef stock:
- Boil beef flanks with 1.5 litre of water together with ginger, garlic and some salt for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or till beef is tender.
- Once beef is cooked, remove the meat.
- Dice the beef into small cubes.
- Strain the beef stock and set aside.
Preparation of the sweet potatoes:
- Under running water, rinse and remove any soil from the sweet potatoes.
- Put them into a steamer and steam for about 20 minutes or till soft.
- Peel skin and then puree the sweet potatoes. Set aside.
Preparation for the blend/pound ingredients:
- Roughly cut the ingredients and put them into a blender and blend with some oil or water till it is a smooth paste.
Preparation of the gravy:
- Heat up the wok/pan with 3 tablespoons of oil.
- Transfer the blended/pounded ingredients and the lemongrass into the wok/pan and sauté till fragrant (about 10 to 15 minutes).
- Add 2 cups of beef stock into the rempah and mix well.
- Add the mashed sweet potatoes, beef cubes, and the gula Melaka. Stir until well mixed.
- Add another cup beef stock to the gravy until your desired consistency. Bring the gravy to boil and set side. (A good advice from Guai Shu Shu – Adding stock gradually will give you a chance to control the consistency. If too much is added, it is rather hard to salvage the situation)
For the Final Dish:
- Put some beansprouts and yellow egg noodles in the bowl.
- Pour hot gravy to cover the beansprouts and yellow noodles. Ensure that the gravy covers the beansprouts and noodles.
- Top some fried shallots, green chilli, firm bean curd cubes, egg, fried udang geragau and calamansi/lime. Serve immediately.