Johor Mee Rebus (8-10 portions)

500 gm beef bones (knuckle) - blanched and rinsed

150 -200 medium prawns, blanched and  shells removed, keep aside separately

2 handful dried shrimps, soaked

300 gm sweet potato (red), peeled, roughly cut

1-2 serai/lemongrass

2 inches lengkuas, sliced

6 buah keras/candlenut

2 tbsp turmeric

60-80 gm peanuts (finely grinded)

t-2 tsp chilli giling

4 tbsp taucu/fermented beanpaste

250 gm shallots

6 cloves garlic

2 tbsp coriander powder

3 tbsp tapioca starch + 12 tbsp water

2-2.5 litre water

Method:

1. Bring  water to boil and throw in the prawn shells and sweet potatoes. and simmer until potatoes are soft.   Discard shells and blend the potatoes.  Then pour blended poatoes back into the stock.

2. Meanwhile, grind (finely) garlic, shallots, shrimps and buah keras.  

3.  Heat oil in wok and fry until brown with turmeric powder and coriander powder.  Pour mixture into the stock.

4.  In the stock, add bones, smashed lemongrass, peanuts, chilli gilling, taucu  and simmer for at least 3 hours / until gravy-like thickess.

5.  Pour in cornstarch to give it that smooth texture.

Notes : Garnish : Don't be too tempted to season with salt & pepper within 3 hours.  For garnish, you need chopped daun sup (chinese celery), fried shallots (optional), hard boil eggs, diced fried beancurd, FRESH GREEN CHILLIES, calamansi (limau kasturi) and deepfried batter.  I substituted deepfried batter with deepfried chinese crullers (You Tiao)- sliced and panfried /deepfried until crispy.

This recipe is very easy. For serving, use a soup plate with blanched yellow noodles  (not too much) and ladle 1-2 ladles of the gravy. garnish with the above.

Note that some gravies are made from chicken or lamb stock.  But the beef stock ones are the best.