Don Signature Crab - Singapore Food Guide

Mee Rebus (Sweet Potato Gravy)

Singapore-style Mee Rebus: yellow noodles bathed in a silky sweet potato gravy simmered with prawn stock and warm spices — a hawker-centre comfort bowl.

Mee Rebus (Sweet Potato Gravy)

About this dish

Mee Rebus (Sweet Potato Gravy) is a beloved hawker classic across Singapore — a hearty bowl of yellow noodles topped with a rich, slightly sweet and savoury gravy made from mashed sweet potato, prawn stock and aromatics. You’ll find versions at heartland kopitiams and bustling hawker centres from Tiong Bahru to Geylang; at home it’s a favourite for weekend family dinners, rainy-night suppers or sharing at potlucks.

The gravy is smooth and comforting: sweet potato gives body and natural sweetness, dried shrimp and prawn stock provide umami depth, while tamarind and a little kecap manis add tang and caramel notes. Textural contrasts are key in a proper Mee Rebus — silky sauce against springy yellow noodles, crisp bean sprouts, soft boiled egg, and spongy tau pok or fried tofu. Local touches like sambal chilli or a squeeze of calamansi lift the bowl towards the hawker-centre flavour we love.

This recipe is flexible: make a vegetarian version with vegetable stock and skip the belacan, or deepen the flavour with extra prawn shells if you want that zi char authenticity. I’ll walk you through prepping the stock, cooking the sweet potato gravy to a lusciously smooth consistency, and plating it like a hawker stall — ready to tuck into for weeknight dinners, family-style meals or a comforting supper after a late shift.

Ingredients

  • 400 g fresh yellow egg noodles (mee), blanched
  • 350 g sweet potato (peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes)
  • 200 g raw prawns (heads reserved for stock) or 150 g prawn shells
  • 1.2 litres water (for stock) or 1 litre chicken stock for richer gravy
  • 30 g dried shrimp (soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, drained)
  • 1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted and finely chopped (optional)
  • 4 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder or 1 cm fresh turmeric, peeled
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter or 60 g roasted peanuts, blended to a paste
  • 1-2 tbsp tamarind paste (to taste) or 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) or dark sweet soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar (palm sugar or caster), adjust to taste
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil (for frying aromatics)
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved (per 4 servings)
  • 100 g bean sprouts, blanched briefly
  • 6 pieces tau pok (fried tofu puffs) or cubed fried tofu
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • Handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped
  • Fried shallots and chopped red chilli or sambal for garnish
  • Lime or calamansi wedges, to serve
  • Salt and white pepper, to taste

Step-by-Step Method

  1. 1. Make the stock: in a pot, add prawn heads/shells, 1.2 litres water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20–25 minutes to extract flavour; strain and reserve the prawn stock. If using store-bought chicken stock, skip this step.
  2. 2. Roast and prepare aromatics: heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan, lightly fry the shallots, garlic, dried shrimp and belacan (if using) until fragrant and slightly browned — about 3–4 minutes on medium heat. Let cool slightly.
  3. 3. Cook sweet potato: in a saucepan, add the cubed sweet potato and enough prawn stock or water to cover. Simmer until very soft, about 12–15 minutes. Drain, reserving some cooking liquid.
  4. 4. Blend the gravy: in a blender or with an immersion blender, combine the cooked sweet potato, fried aromatics, curry powder, turmeric, peanut butter (or blended peanuts) and about 400–500 ml of the prawn stock. Blitz until completely smooth. Return to the saucepan.
  5. 5. Simmer and season: gently simmer the blended gravy for 8–10 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add tamarind paste, light soy, kecap manis and sugar. Adjust consistency with more stock or reserved cooking liquid — the gravy should be silky and pourable but not watery. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt, sugar, tamarind) like a hawker adjusting a wok-full of sauce.
  6. 6. Prepare noodles and toppings: blanch yellow noodles for 30–45 seconds in boiling water, then drain and divide into bowls. Lightly blanchi bean sprouts for 10–15 seconds. Halve boiled eggs and warm tau pok in oil or hot water.
  7. 7. Assemble bowls: ladle a generous amount of hot sweet potato gravy over the noodles so they are well coated. Top with halved egg, tau pok, bean sprouts, spring onions, coriander and a spoonful of fried shallots.
  8. 8. Garnish and serve: finish with a wedge of lime or calamansi and sambal/chopped chilli on the side. Encourage diners to squeeze lime and mix so the tang cuts through the gravy. Serve immediately while hot.
  9. 9. Make-ahead and reheat note: gravy can be stored in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of water or stock to loosen. For the best texture, fresh-blanch noodles just before serving.

Tips & Serving Ideas

  • If you can't get fresh prawns or shells, use good-quality chicken or vegetable stock and add a teaspoon of dried shrimp powder for umami — available at NTUC FairPrice or Sheng Siong.
  • For a silky-smooth gravy, blitz the sweet potato mixture thoroughly and strain through a fine sieve; an immersion blender works great for busy home kitchens.
  • Adjust the sweetness and tang to your taste like a hawker: more tamarind for brightness, more kecap manis for caramel notes. Add sambal little by little if feeding children.
  • To make this vegetarian, omit belacan and prawns, use vegetable stock and increase peanut paste for body — available at Cold Storage and local wet markets.
  • Reheat gently on low heat and add a splash of stock to restore consistency; do not boil the gravy vigorously or it may separate.
  • Prepare the prawn stock in advance and freeze in portions — it’s an easy flavour shortcut for quick weeknight Mee Rebus.

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