Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶)

Name: Bak Kut Teh
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Malaysia
Ingredients: 1 kg pork ribs; 2 whole garlic bulbs; 1 bak kut teh spice sachet (or star anise, cinnamon, white pepper); 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy; 2.5 l water; rice and tea to serve

Overview

Bak kut teh, literally 'meat bone tea', is a pork rib soup simmered for hours with whole garlic bulbs and a mix of spices and Chinese herbs such as star anise, cinnamon, dang gui and goji berries. The Malaysian Hokkien style has a dark, herbal broth flavoured with soy sauce, while the Singaporean Teochew style is clear and strongly peppery. It is eaten for breakfast or lunch with rice, fried dough sticks and Chinese tea, which gave the dish its name.

Pictures

History

The dish is linked with Chinese immigrants who came to Malaya and Singapore in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many of them working at the ports. The town of Klang in Malaysia is often called the home of bak kut teh, though Singapore also claims it. The soup was a cheap, filling meal that gave labourers strength for long working days.

Main ingredients

Pork ribs, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, white pepper, soy sauce. The soup is built on herbal pork broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.

Recipe outline serves 4 · ~135 min

Ingredients

1 kg pork ribs
2 whole garlic bulbs
1 bak kut teh spice sachet (or star anise, cinnamon, white pepper)
2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy
2.5 l water
rice and tea to serve

Method

Blanch the ribs for 5 minutes and rinse.
Bring the water to the boil with garlic and spices.
Add the ribs and simmer gently for 1.5-2 hours.
Season with soy sauce and serve with rice and tea.

Sources

Bak kut teh (Wikipedia)

Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.