Mee Rebus

Mee rebus means boiled noodles, and it is the comfort food of the Malay heartlands: yellow noodles buried under a thick, golden gravy made from sweet potatoes. The gravy is what sets it apart, silky and mildly spiced, poured generously over the noodles until the bowl looks like sunshine, and the best versions get their depth from dried shrimp and a spoonful of curry powder stirred into the gravy. It is hawker food at its most nurturing, and it has been warming people up for generations.

A bowl of golden gravy and soft noodles

The sweet potato gravy is velvety and gently sweet, with shrimp, tofu, and bean sprouts tucked underneath, and a shower of fried shallots on top, while a hard-boiled egg half and a wedge of lime finish the bowl. The whole thing is slurped down with quiet devotion, and it is humble, filling, and exactly what you want on a rainy day, when a hot bowl of mee rebus feels like a hug. Eat it fresh; the gravy thickens as it sits, so leftovers are better reheated with a splash of water.

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