Mee Rebus with Sambal Sotong/Squid

Mee Rebus ,literally means boiled/blanched noodles(in English) is one of the famous dish in Malaysia.The dish comes with boiled noodles,gravy which is made from potatoes, curry powder, water, salted soybeans, dried shrimps, and peanuts. The preparation of the gravy may vary from household to household.The dish is garnished with a hard boiled egg, calamansi limes, spring onions, Chinese celery, green chillies, fried firm tofu (tau kwa), fried shallots ,bean sprouts etc. Some eateries serve it with beef or sambal as an additional !I visited Penang Little Cafe,KLLC Suria a number of times and enjoyed their Mee Rebus with sambal sotong.The sambal paste when combine with the gravy really gave a delightful flavouring to the gravy!This recipe is prepared base on my experience there!

3 tbsp meat curry powder

450gms of chicken pieces

1 cup of preserved soy bean paste,taucu ,mashed

3 large orange sweet potatoes, boiled in water until soft,peel and mashed

3 tomatoes, cut into wedges

2 tbsp roasted groundnuts ,deskinned, and grounded

3 tbsp cornflour , mix with some water to thicken the gravy

1 kg yellow noodles,blanched and drained

150gm bean sprout, blanced partially only

Spice paste

15 shallots

4 cloves garlic

4cm ginger

Garnishing/Condiments

2 hard boiled eggs, halve

2 pieces firm bean curd,fried and cut into thin slices

2 sprigs Chinese celery or spring onions,chopped

2 potatoes, peeled, cut into 4 or 6 and deep fried in oil

2 green chillies, sliced thinly

10 calamansi limes ,halved

2 tbsp crisp fried shallots

Combine all spice ingredients in a blender and make into a paste.Mix in the meat curry powder into the paste.

For the sweet potatoes, I place it in blender ,added some water and made into a fine paste.

Heat a pot with oil, sauté the spice paste until fragrant. Add in chicken pieces and stir further runtil cooked.Add in soy bean paste,and sweet potato paste .Stir, add water if gravy is too thick.Bring to a boil.Add in grounded peanuts, tomatoes, salt and sugar. Simmer gently for 3 to 4 mins. Then add in cornflour mixture and simmer further for another 5 mins.Close fire.

To serve, place some yellow noodles and bean sproutin a serving bowl,add in fried potatoes, bean curd ,egg,  then ladle hot gravy over, garnish with Chinese celery, green chillies, crisp shallots and place a calamansi at the side. Place a tbsp of sotong sambal at the side. Squeeze the juice before stirring all the ingredients and enjoying!!

Sambal sotong

3 large squids

Sugar to taste

Salt to taste

Pound into a paste

10 dried red chillies,soaked in hot water for 15 mins,drained

4 shallots

1 clove garlic

1 in shrimp paste

½ tbsp dried shrimp

2 candlenuts

Clean the squid, cut in the middle, clean the inner part, and halve the squid. Cut into rectangle shape .In a wok, heat 5 tbsp oil, sauté the pounded ingredients until fragrant.Add sugar and salt. Caramelise the paste until it changes into a bright red colour. Add in the squids. Cook until squids are soften.Close fire.