Bak kut teh
The name literally means "meat bone tea", though there is no tea in it — it is usually explained by the strong Chinese tea drunk alongside the soup, often at breakfast. Two schools divide the dish: the Malaysian one uses a dark broth of Chinese herbs, the Singaporean a pale one with garlic and pepper alone. This is the dark version, and its secret is whole heads of garlic dropped in unpeeled, which soften over two hours and give the broth their sweetness.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Blanching 15 min
- Simmering 120 min
- Additions 15 min
- Serving 10 min
Step by step
0 / 7 doneBlanch the ribs and discard the water
Cover the ribs with cold water, bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes (about 15 minutes in all from cold), then drain and rinse the meat under running water. This step decides the clarity of the broth — without it the soup is cloudy and full of grey scum.
Ingredients: 1500 g pork ribs · 2500 ml water · 3 pcs garlic
The first water goes out with the scum.Tie the spices in a bag
Wrap the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and fennel in a piece of muslin and tie it. The bag lets you lift everything out in one motion — loose spices otherwise have to be fished out of every bowl.
Ingredients: 3 pcs star anise · 1 pcs cinnamon · 6 pcs cloves · 2 tbsp peppercorns · 1 tsp fennel seeds · 5 tbsp dark soy sauce · 3 tbsp light soy sauce · 1 tbsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
A muslin bag — everything comes out in one motion.Add the garlic as whole heads
Slice only the tops off the garlic heads and drop them in whole, skins on. Unpeeled garlic does not disintegrate in the broth but softens slowly — after two hours it squeezes out as a creamy paste straight into the bowl.
Ingredients: 1500 g pork ribs · 2500 ml water · 3 pcs garlic
Simmer two hours over low heat
Cover the ribs with water, add the spice bag, the light soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of the dark, the sugar and salt and cook 2 hours with the surface barely trembling. The meat should pull from the bone and the broth darken to the colour of strong tea.
Ingredients: 3 pcs star anise · 1 pcs cinnamon · 6 pcs cloves · 2 tbsp peppercorns · 1 tsp fennel seeds · 5 tbsp dark soy sauce · 3 tbsp light soy sauce · 1 tbsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Broth dark as strong tea, meat pulling from the bone.Add mushrooms and tofu at the end
Soak the shiitake in boiling water for 20 minutes, then add them with the tofu for the last 15 minutes. Fried tofu, not fresh — it absorbs broth like a sponge and holds its shape, while fresh would fall apart.
Ingredients: 200 g tofu · 6 pcs dried shiitake · 200 g romaine lettuce · 400 g rice · 2 pcs chillies · ½ bunch coriander
Remove the spices and taste
Lift out the bag and taste the broth. It should be clearly herbal, salty and faintly sweet, with a peppery warmth behind it. If it tastes weak, reduce it uncovered for 10 minutes rather than adding salt.
Ingredients: 3 pcs star anise · 1 pcs cinnamon · 6 pcs cloves · 2 tbsp peppercorns · 1 tsp fennel seeds · 5 tbsp dark soy sauce · 3 tbsp light soy sauce · 1 tbsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Serve with rice and chilli dip
Drop the lettuce into the hot broth for 30 seconds and ladle everything into bowls. Serve with rice, coriander and a small dish of the remaining 2 tablespoons of dark soy with chopped chilli — the meat is dipped into it.
Ingredients: 200 g tofu · 6 pcs dried shiitake · 200 g romaine lettuce · 400 g rice · 2 pcs chillies · ½ bunch coriander
Before you start
Ready-made herb sachets
Asian grocers sell bak kut teh sachets containing Chinese angelica root (dang gui), goji berries and other Chinese herbs as well. They are convenient and cheap — if you find them, use one in place of your own mix and skip the muslin bag.
The Singapore version
Singaporean bak kut teh drops the dark soy and the herbs, leaving garlic and a great deal of white pepper. The broth is then pale, sharp and distinctly peppery — a different dish under the same name, worth trying on its own.
Better the next day
The broth improves overnight and the meat takes up the spices fully. It keeps three days in the fridge. Reheat slowly and add the lettuce and tofu fresh — after a night in the broth they shred.
