Mee Rebus

This is a single meal dish. It is a local recipe for Singapore and Malaysia. Mee Rebus is a traditional hawker fare. Translated into English the dish means simply "boiled noodles".This name is however misleading as the dish is more than boiled noodles. It has a rich spicy sauce and is served with an elaborate garnish.

A decade ago Mee Rebus was sold by itinerant hawkers who used to carry two baskets over a pole. At one one of the pole one basket will contain his stove and a pot of boiling water. At the other end of the pole the other basket contained his ingredients for the Mee Rebus.

Lately, Mee Rebus is sold in local hawker centres. Some Muslim restaurants and hotel coffee houses may also feature this dish.

Ingredients

Yellow noodles(1 packet)
Beansprouts (towgay)

Gravy

Beef brisket (for stock) (approx. 150grams)
10 Shallots
Salted beans (1 dessertsp)
Curry powder (1 dessertsp)
Sweet potatoe flour or cornflour (to thicken gravy)
Back soya sauce (about half to one teaspoon - to add colour to gravy - use frugally)
Dried shrimps (Grago) (approx. one small cup)
Sugar and salt to taste
Lemon grass (serai) (3-4 stalks)

Garnish

Chinese celery (chopped coarsely)
Beancurd cake (Tau Kua) (diced 10cm square and deep fried till golden)
Grago(dried shrimps) (fried till crisp and golden)
Shallots (sliced thinly and deepfried till crisp)
Green chillies (sliced thinly)
Hard boiled eggs (sliced)

Method

To prepare gravy

1. Boil bite-size pieces of beef brisket till tender. in about 5 bowls of water. Leave beef pieces in the stock.

2. Grind dried shrimps with shallots and add this paste to the beef stock. Bring to a slow boil.

3. Add the pounded salted soya beans and the crushed lemon grass.

4. Add the curry powder and then sweet potato flour or corn flour to thicken the gravy. Stir frequently to achieve a smooth consistency.

5.Add a small amount of black soya sauce to give the gravy and light brown colour.

6. Add salt and sugar to taste.

To prepare noodles

Prepare noodles only when the dish is about to be served.

1. Blanch noodles and beansprouts in boiling water; do not overcook. Place on a dish.

2. Pour gravy over the noodles and beansprouts.

3. Garnish with diced beancake, fried shallots, Chinese celery and raw sliced green chillies and slices of hard-boiled eggs.

Tips

1. If an egg slicer is not available eggs may be sliced using a piece of string as was done by hawkers of yester-years. This way the slices of eggs can be cut very thin without the yolks breaking.

2. A separate dish of sweet black soya sauce to which slices of red and green chillies are added may be served as a condiment to the Mee Rebus.

3. The gravy should have a slightly sweetish taste.

4. Do not miss out or substitute the salted beans (taucheo) as this gives the gravy the distinctive flavour necessary for this dish.