Mee Rebus Johor

Ingredients

• 500 g fresh yellow noodles
• 400 g orange-fleshed sweet potato
• 100 g dried shrimp
• 3 tbsp taucu (fermented soybean paste)
• 8 dried chillies
• 8 shallots
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 cm galangal
• 2 lemongrass stalks
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground fennel
• 60 g roasted peanuts
• 1.2 litres beef or chicken stock
• 250 g beef shin, diced
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• 2 tbsp tamarind water
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 6 fried tofu puffs, sliced
• 150 g beansprouts
• 3 green chillies, sliced
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1 small handful Chinese celery leaves
• fried shallots, to finish
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Before you cook

• Soak the dried chillies and the dried shrimp separately in hot water for twenty minutes, then drain both.
• Peel the sweet potato and cut it into 3 cm cubes.
• Blend the drained chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal and lemongrass to a smooth paste.
• Grind the soaked dried shrimp and the roasted peanuts separately to a coarse rubble.
• Mash the taucu with the back of a spoon.
• Slice the tofu puffs, halve the boiled eggs, and slice the green chillies and spring onions.

Steps

1. Bring a pan of water to a boil and simmer the sweet potato cubes for fifteen minutes, until a knife slides straight through.
2. Drain the sweet potato and mash it to a smooth puree.
3. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
4. Add the blended spice paste and fry it for ten minutes, until it darkens and the oil separates.
5. Stir in the ground coriander, cumin and fennel and cook for one minute.
6. Add the ground dried shrimp and the mashed taucu and fry for three minutes more.
7. Add the diced beef and turn it through the paste for two minutes.
8. Pour in the stock and bring the pot to a boil.
9. Lower the heat and simmer for thirty minutes, until the beef is tender.
10. Whisk in the sweet potato puree and the ground peanuts.
11. Simmer the gravy for ten minutes, stirring often, until it is thick enough to hold a line drawn with a spoon.
12. Season with the palm sugar, tamarind water and salt, then taste for a balance of sweet, savoury and faintly sour.
13. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil.
14. Blanch the beansprouts for fifteen seconds and lift them out.
15. Dip the yellow noodles into the same water for thirty seconds to loosen and warm them, then drain them well.
16. Divide the noodles between four bowls and top them with the beansprouts.
17. Ladle the hot gravy over generously.
18. Finish each bowl with halved egg, tofu puffs, green chilli, spring onion, celery leaves, fried shallots and a lime wedge.