This delicious Johor noodle recipe has a great savory, sweet, spicy, tangy, and umami all in one dish. The recipe can be cooked on the stove or Instant Pot pressure cooker.
What is mee Bandung?
Being from Indonesia, the first thing I thought was a special noodle from Bandung, one of the cities in West Java, Indonesia. I later realize that this is actually a traditional and popular noodle dish that originated in Muar,Johor, Malaysia. What does bandung mean you might ask. From my understanding, in Malay language, bandung mean “in pair”. Mee bandung used to have only noodles and eggs. So there you go the pair of noodles and egg. Nowadays, mee bandung is more than just eggs of course.
The recipe rundown
Taste: The gravy is savory, sweet, spicy (I didn’t make mine that spicy though), and umami.
Texture: There are many things going on here, not necessarily texture contrast. The slightly thick gravy with tender beef pieces, succulent prawns, chunks of poached eggs
Level: Medium
How to make mee bandung with Instant Pot pressure cooker.
I love the convenience of Instant pot and that’s what I used here. The recipe for cooking on the stove is in the recipe card too:
1. Put all ingredients for grinding in a food processor and process into a paste
2. Blanch the yu choy or kale in boiling water for a minute and then refresh with cold water and set aside.
Cook the noodles according to instruction. Fresh yellow noodles usually only need to be blanch in boiling water for less than a minute
3. Press saute. When it’s hot, add 3 Tbsp of oil. Add the ingredients you grind earlier and saute for about 3-5 minutes
4. Add the beef pieces and add 4 cups of water. Turn the steam release valve to “sealing”. Set the timer to 10 minutes. Make sure it’s on high pressure. When it’s done cooking, wait for the pressure valve to collapse on its own, about 10-15 minutes
5. Scoop the beef out from the inner pot and set aside. Press saute again. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Add the prawns and cook until they just start to turn pink. Add the beef pieces back into the gravy. Crack in 4 eggs and let them cook undisturbed until they are set. Turn off saute mode and proceed to assembling
6. Portion the noodles out into a serving platter. Top with some fried tofu. Portion out some beef, prawns, chunks of poached egg, and a generous ladle of gravy over everything. Garnish with fried shallots, chopped green onion, cilantro/parsley leaves, green chili slices. Squeeze some lime juice over it and serve immediately
Did you make this mee bandung Muar recipe?
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The recipe is adapted from here
Mee Bandung Muar (Bandung Noodles)
Ingredients
- 600 gr yellow noodles or use about 300 grams dried egg noodles
- 3 large tomatoes quartered
- 4 large eggs
- 8 stalks yu choy I used kale
- 250 gr large shrimp deveined
- 3 Tbsp oil
Beef stock:
- 500 gr beef stew
- 4 cups water
Ingredients to grind:
- 2 Tbsp red chili paste I used store-bought sambal oelek
- 1 large onion peeled and quartered
- 8 cloves garlic peeled
- 4 slices ginger
- 50 gr dried shrimp soaked in warm water until soft
- ½ cup roasted peanuts
Seasonings:
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 4 Tbsp sugar or more as needed
- 3 Tbsp ketchup
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- Salt to taste
Serve with:
- Fried tofu
- Crispy fried shallots / bawang goreng
- Cilantro or parsley leaves
- Green chili
- Limes
Instructions
- Put all ingredients for grinding in a food processor and process into a paste
- Blanch the yu choy or kale in a boiling water for a minute and then refresh with cold water and set aside
- Cook the noodles according to instruction. Fresh yellow noodles usually only needs to be blanch in boiling water for less than a minute
If cooking on the stove:
- Put the beef in a saucepan and add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let it gently simmer until the beef is tender. Remove the beef from the stock
- Preheat a large heavy-bottom. Add 3 Tbsp of oil. Add the ingredients you grind earlier and saute for about 3-5 minutes. Add the beef stock, tomatoes, and seasonings. Continue to cook for another minute. Have a taste and adjust to your preference
- Add the prawns and cook until they just start to turn pink. Add the beef pieces back into the gravy. Crack in 4 eggs and let them cook undisturbed until they are set. Turn off the heat and proceed to assembling step
If cooking with Instant Pot pressure cooker:
- Press saute. When it's hot, add 3 Tbsp of oil. Add the ingredients you grind earlier and saute for about 3-5 minutes. Add the beef pieces and add 4 cups of water. Turn the steam release valve to "sealing". Set the timer to 10 minutes. Make sure it's on high pressure. When it's done cooking, wait for the pressure valve to collapse on its own, about 10-15 minutes
- Scoop the beef out from the inner pot and set aside. Press saute again. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Add the prawns and cook until they just start to turn pink. Add the beef pieces back into the gravy. Crack in 4 eggs and let them cook undisturbed until they are set. Turn off saute mode and proceed to assembly
Assembling:
- Portion the noodles out into a serving platter. Top with some fried tofu. Portion out some beef, prawns, chunk of poached egg, and a generous ladle of gravy over everything. Garnish with fried shallots, chopped green onion, cilantro/parsley leaves, green chili slices. Squeeze some lime juice over it and serve immediately
2 comments
It looks so delicious, can’t wait to try it.
Yes, it is one of our favorites too!