Noodles served in umami-rich shrimp-based gravy topped with delicious toppings. Making mie rebus Medan is one of my mom's expertise and you will love this authentic mie rebus Medan for real!
Boil the chili in water briefly until soft. Transfer to a food processor and you can either grind it finely or coarsely chop them. Set aside. They can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week
Preparing the noodles:
Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the package. Set aside and covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve
Preparing the shrimp stock:
Place all ingredients for grinding in a food processor and grind into a fine paste. Add a bit of water to help it goes if needed
Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for 10-15 minutes
Wash the shrimp with cold running water. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Peel the shrimp and save all the shells and heads to make the stock. You only need half of the shrimp, keep the other half for other use. Cut each shrimp into about 3-4 pieces. Place the shells in a colander to make sure they are pretty dry and don't wash it anymore. Pat them dry as much as you can
Preheat a large pot with 1 Tbsp of oil. Add in the shrimp shells and heads and saute until really fragrant and slightly char. My mom said to make sure it's slightly char as this really amplifies the aroma, about 10 minutes or so. Remove the sauteed shrimp shells onto a plate
To the same pot, add another 1 Tbsp of oil. Add the paste you ground earlier. Saute until aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the herbs and spices and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the sauteed shrimp shells back followed by the seasonings. Add 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let the stock gently simmer for the next 30 minutes
Strain the stock into a clean pot and discard all the solids
Preparing the toppings:
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Blanch the beansprouts in the water for 10 seconds and run them through a cold water. You want it to be still crunchy. Set aside
Boil 3 large potatoes in water until fork tender. Let cool and then peel the skin and cut into slices or cubes, it's up to you. Set about 300 grams of boiled potato and mash it finely to add to the gravy later
Blend the mashed potato with about 2 cups some shrimp stock to combine them. You can use a blender or immersion blender.
Preheat about 1 Tbsp of cooking oil in a small skillet. Add shrimp and stir fry until they turn pink and cooked through, about 1 minute or less. Set aside. There will be some juice ooze out from the shrimp, add this back to the shrimp stock, don't throw it away
Thickening the gravy:
Mix the tapioca with the shrimp stock. Make sure the stock is not hot when you mix or it will be lumpy
Bring the shrimp stock back to a boil. When the stock comes to a boil, add the mashed potato mixture and stir to combine. When they are well combined, with one hand stirring, the other hand slowly pours in the tapioca mixture and stir vigorously to make sure they do not curdle up. If the gravy doesn't thicken up enough for you, add a bit more tapioca starch mixed with a bit of water
Have a taste and adjust by adding more salt or other seasonings to suit your taste
When ready to serve :
Portion the noodles out into an individual serving bowl. Place a few slices of boiled potatoes, some shrimp, boiled egg, sprinkle on some celery leaves and bean sprouts on top of each serving bowl. Ladle the gravy generously over the noodles. Squeeze some limes on top
Top with crispy fried shallots. Place the crackers on the side of the bowl if using. Do this last so you don't pour the gravy over the crispy stuff. Serve with the green chili
Notes
Thicken the gravy only when you are ready to serve, the whole dish must be served immediately after that