Bak Kut Teh Recipe (Soup Version)

Bak Kut Teh is my all time favourite dish. Whenever I am feeling sick, I would head towards a bak kut teh restaurant for a nice pot of herbal pork soup. Bak Kut Teh is not easy to do, but is still possible to cook it in your very own kitchen. If you do not like the long process of cooking it, you may purchase the pre-packed herbs in any chinese sundry shop and follow the instructions on the pack. If you are interested in cooking everything on your own, try the following steps.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork back ribs, chopped into 2-inch lengths
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 6 cups water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 whole star anise
• 1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce (to taste)
• soy sauce (optional)
• red chile, thinly sliced (optional)
• steamed white rice (optional)

Cooking Method:

1. Combine the pork, garlic, and water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Skim and discard the scum from the surface. Add the cinnamon, star anise, peppercorns, sugar, salt, and soy sauce.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the pork is tender, about 45 minutes. Discard the excess fat from the soup before serving.
4. Serve the soup in deep bowls with 3 to 4 rib pieces per serving.
5. Combine soy sauce and chiles to taste in small bowls as a dipping sauce for the ribs. Serve bowl of rice on the side.