Mee Bandung (Malaysian Johor Shrimp Tomato Gravy Noodles)
Mee bandung is a noodle dish from Johor in southern Malaysia, built around a thick, rust-colored gravy made from shrimp, tomato paste, and chili paste. The sauce has a distinctive character - simultaneously sweet, spicy, and briny - that sets it apart from the brothier noodle soups common elsewhere in the country. Yellow wheat noodles sit in the gravy rather than float in it, and the topping of whole shrimp, hard-boiled egg, and sliced scallions rounds out the bowl. The gravy clings to each strand of noodle, landing somewhere between a soup and a stir-fry in consistency. It is a night market staple in Johor Bahru and across southern Malaysia, rarely found outside that region.
Adjust Servings
Instructions
- 1
Boil noodles until tender, then drain and set aside.
- 2
Finely chop onion and garlic, then saute until fragrant.
- 3
Add tomato paste and chili paste, cooking for 1 minute to deepen flavor.
- 4
Add shrimp stock and soy sauce, bring to a boil, then cook shrimp in the broth.
- 5
Stir in starch slurry to thicken slightly and ladle over noodles.
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Nutrition (per serving)
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