Bak Kut Teh (Meat Bone Tea)
Bak Kut Teh (Meat Bone Tea)
Another perfect winter warmer: a nice bowl of hearty soup! This aromatic, peppery broth cooked with a variety cuts of pork, is a favourite breakfast or brunch option and at late-night hawker stalls. My personal favourite is the version of Klang Bak Kut Teh. This dish is widely served in Malaysia. The meat is stewed for hours with spices, Chinese herbs and soy sauce.
An example of a restaurant in Klang that serves this mouth-watering dish:
http://www.senghuatbakkutteh.com/index.html
Some background on this dish:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bak_kut_teh
Ingredients
• About 500g of meaty pork ribs, almost 300g of pork loin or pork belly
• 8 - 10 garlic cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 star anise
• Light soy sauce (to taste)
• Dark soy sauce (for added colour)
• A pinch of sugar
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 - 2 packet of fresh shitake mushrooms (available at the farmers' markets)
• 1 packet of tofu puffs
• 2 - 2.5 litres of water
For spice bag
• 6 cloves
• 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
• Dried orange or mandarin peel (around the size of a cup's bottom)
• A couple slices of ginseng (optional)
Method
1. To make the spice bag, lay a muslin (cheesecloth) on a flat surface and place all the spices in the centre. Gather the edges and tie it with a kitchen string. Alternatively, you may use these "pockets", which are located in the Chinese herbs section of most Asian groceries. Similarly, secure these.
2. Place the ribs and loin (or pork belly) in a deep pot. Add the garlic cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise and the spice bag. Add the water and bring it to boil.
3. Skim of any fat from the surface of the liquid, then stir in the light and dark soy sauce and sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours or more, until the pork is almost falling off the bones. Add the mushrooms and tofu puffs. Top with a handful of goji berries (optional).
4. Season to taste with salt and cracked black pepper. Serve with a dipping sauce (light soy sauce with some fresh cut red chillies), some fried dough sticks and steamed jasmine rice. And a nice pot of Chinese tea!
An example of a restaurant in Klang that serves this mouth-watering dish:
http://www.senghuatbakkutteh.com/index.html
Some background on this dish:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bak_kut_teh
• About 500g of meaty pork ribs, almost 300g of pork loin or pork belly
• 8 - 10 garlic cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 star anise
• Light soy sauce (to taste)
• Dark soy sauce (for added colour)
• A pinch of sugar
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 - 2 packet of fresh shitake mushrooms (available at the farmers' markets)
• 1 packet of tofu puffs
• 2 - 2.5 litres of water
For spice bag
• 6 cloves
• 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
• Dried orange or mandarin peel (around the size of a cup's bottom)
• A couple slices of ginseng (optional)
Method
1. To make the spice bag, lay a muslin (cheesecloth) on a flat surface and place all the spices in the centre. Gather the edges and tie it with a kitchen string. Alternatively, you may use these "pockets", which are located in the Chinese herbs section of most Asian groceries. Similarly, secure these.
2. Place the ribs and loin (or pork belly) in a deep pot. Add the garlic cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise and the spice bag. Add the water and bring it to boil.
3. Skim of any fat from the surface of the liquid, then stir in the light and dark soy sauce and sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours or more, until the pork is almost falling off the bones. Add the mushrooms and tofu puffs. Top with a handful of goji berries (optional).
4. Season to taste with salt and cracked black pepper. Serve with a dipping sauce (light soy sauce with some fresh cut red chillies), some fried dough sticks and steamed jasmine rice. And a nice pot of Chinese tea!
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