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How to cook Bak kut teh

Bak kut teh is a Singapore pork rib soup simmered for a long time in a peppery, garlicky broth until the meat is tender enough to pull from the bone. This is the clear, peppery Teochew style, served with rice, you tiao, a dish of chopped chilli in dark soy, and hot tea.

Ingredients

For the soup

• 800 g pork ribs (spare ribs or pork belly ribs), cut into 5 cm pieces
• 2.5 litres water, plus extra for blanching
• 2 whole heads (about 60 g) garlic, outer skins removed, cloves left unpeeled and bulb lightly smashed
• 2 tbsp whole white peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 to 1.5 tsp salt, to taste
• 1 tsp sugar (optional, to round out the broth)

For the optional herbal pack (for a slightly sweeter, aromatic broth)

• 1 slice dang gui (angelica root), about 3 g
• 4 to 5 pieces yu zhu (Solomon's seal rhizome)
• 5 g wolfberries (goji)
• 2 pieces dried red dates, split
• 1 small piece dried liquorice root (optional, strong, use sparingly)

For serving

• 4 bowls steamed white rice
• 2 sticks you tiao (fried dough fritters), cut into pieces
• 4 to 6 red chillies (chilli padi or red chilli), sliced
• 4 tbsp dark soy sauce, for the dipping dish
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce, for the dipping dish
• 4 cloves garlic, minced, for the dipping dish
• to taste Chinese tea, brewed hot
• a handful choy sum or lettuce (optional, blanched, as a side)

Steps

1. Blanch the pork8 min
   Place the ribs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 5 minutes until grey scum rises to the top.
2. Rinse the ribs3 min
   Drain the ribs into a colander and rinse under running water to wash off the scum. Rinse the pot too, as leftover residue will cloud the broth.
3. Prepare the pepper and garlic3 min
   Crush the white and black peppercorns lightly with the flat of a knife or in a mortar so they crack but do not turn to powder. Wrap them in a small piece of muslin or a soup bag, or leave them loose if you plan to strain later.
4. Start the broth2 min
   Return the ribs to the clean pot. Add 2.5 litres of water, the smashed garlic heads and the peppercorns. If using the herbal pack, rinse the herbs quickly and add them now.
5. Bring to a boil8 min
   Set the pot over high heat and bring to a boil, then immediately lower to the gentlest simmer, with just a few bubbles breaking the surface.
6. Simmer until tender1 hr 40 min
   Partly cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. The meat is ready when a chopstick slides in easily and the meat starts to pull away from the bone. Top up with hot water if the level drops below the meat.
7. Season the soup10 min
   Stir in the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and salt. Add the sugar if using. Simmer 10 more minutes, then taste and adjust: it should be peppery, savoury and clear, with a mild garlic fragrance.
8. Skim and rest5 min
   Skim off any foam or excess oil from the surface with a ladle. Turn off the heat and let the soup rest, covered, for 5 minutes so the flavours settle.
9. Make the chilli dipping sauce3 min
   In a small saucer, combine the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sliced chillies and minced garlic. Stir well. Prepare one saucer per person if you like.
10. Blanch the greens (optional)3 min
    Bring a small pot of water to a boil, blanch the choy sum for 1 minute until bright green and just tender, then drain.
11. Cook the rice
    Have steamed white rice ready in bowls. Cook it in a rice cooker according to the cooker's instructions, timed to finish when the soup is ready.
12. Serve3 min
    Reheat the soup until piping hot. Ladle ribs and broth into bowls, with the garlic cloves. Serve with rice, you tiao, greens, the chilli dipping dish and hot tea. Dip the pork into the soy and chilli, and dunk the you tiao into the soup.

Tips

• Keep the simmer very gentle: a hard boil makes the broth cloudy and the meat stringy.
• Crack the peppercorns rather than grinding them, so the pepper flavour is warm and clean without making the soup gritty.
• Leave the garlic cloves unpeeled but smashed; the skins soften and the garlic turns sweet and mild in the broth.
• Use a mix of lean ribs and a little fatty belly rib for a richer broth, and skim off excess fat before serving.
• The soup tastes even better the next day. Reheat it gently and refresh the pepper with a pinch of freshly cracked white pepper.

Food safety and allergens

Pork should be cooked through until tender with no pink remaining and the juices running clear; long simmering easily achieves this. Cool leftover soup quickly, refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days, and reheat until steaming hot throughout.

Contains: soy, wheat

Watch it being made

• Learn how to cook Bak Kut Teh in 1 minuteLauren's Kitchen · 448,965 views · YouTube
• Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶)The Meatmen Channel · 438,349 views · YouTube
• How to Make Bak Kut Teh from Scratch | No Packets Required | Klang-style Pork Bone "Tea"Adam Liaw · 214,476 views · YouTube

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