Bak Kut Teh

Bak Kut Teh (Malaysia)

A deeply savoury pork rib broth from Malaysia, gently simmered for hours with garlic, white pepper and a classic blend of Chinese herbs and aromatics. Traditionally eaten with steamed rice, crisp dough fritters (yau char kway) and a pot of strong Chinese tea to balance the richness.

Prep

20 min

Cook

120 min

Total

140 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •800 g (1¾ lb) pork ribs (baby back or spare ribs), cut into 5 cm / 2 in pieces by the butcher
• •2 L (8½ cups) water, plus extra for blanching
• •30 g (¼ cup) garlic cloves, smashed but kept whole
• •15 g (½ oz) dried Chinese herbs mix (see note), angelica root/dang gui, codonopsis/dang shen, solomon's seal/yu zhu, goji berries, dried longan, star anise, cloves, sichuan peppercorns, liquorice root
• •10 g (¼ oz) white peppercorns, lightly crushed; do not substitute black pepper
• •20 g (2 Tbsp) Shaoxing wine, or dry sherry
• •30 ml (2 Tbsp) light soy sauce
• •15 ml (1 Tbsp) dark soy sauce, for colour; optional but traditional in KL-style
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, adjust to taste
• •10 g (1 Tbsp) rock sugar, or 1 tsp caster sugar
• •4 pieces shiitake mushrooms, dried, rehydrated; optional but common
• •200 g (7 oz) tau pok (fried tofu puffs), optional; for serving
• •4 stalks Chinese chives or yu choy, blanched, for serving; optional
• •1 portion yau char kway (Chinese dough fritters), for serving
• •1 portion steamed jasmine rice, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Place the pork ribs in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse the ribs under running water to remove scum. This blanching step keeps the final broth clear.
2. 2 While the ribs blanch, rinse the dried herbs and peppercorns quickly under cold water. Tie the woody herbs and peppercorns into a small piece of cheesecloth so they can be retrieved later; leave goji berries and dried longan loose.
3. 3 Return the blanched ribs to a clean heavy pot or clay pot. Add the 2 L of fresh water, smashed garlic, the herb sachet, loose goji berries and dried longan, white peppercorns, Shaoxing wine, light and dark soy sauces, salt and rock sugar. Stir to combine.
4. 4 Bring to a boil over high heat, skim any foam that rises, then reduce to a bare simmer (small bubbles breaking the surface occasionally). Cover partially with a lid and simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and pulling from the bone.
5. 5 Add the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms (with their soaking liquid, strained) and the tofu puffs for the final 20 minutes of cooking so they soak up the broth. Taste and adjust salt — the broth should be peppery, garlicky and savoury with a clean, herbal finish, not heavy on soy.
6. 6 Cook pork to a safe internal temperature of at least 75°C / 165°F; the ribs are done when the meat pulls cleanly from the bone and the broth is a deep amber colour.
7. 7 To serve: ladle broth, ribs and tofu into bowls. Plate with a small dish of steamed rice, blanched greens, dough fritters (cut into short batons and either dunked into the broth or eaten on the side) and a pot of strong pu-erh or oolong tea. Light soy sauce with sliced chillies and a little dark soy is the customary dipping sauce for the ribs.