← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 1 kg meaty pork ribs (and a little pork belly if you like), cut into short pieces
• 2.5 l Water
• 1 Bak kut teh herb and spice sachet
• 2 whole garlic bulbs, rinsed, left whole and unpeeled
• 1 tbsp white peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked for 20 minutes, halved
• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp rock sugar or sugar
• Salt
• 8 Fried tofu puffs
• 100 g enoki mushrooms (optional)
• 3 Red chilli, chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 Chinese fried dough sticks (you tiao), cut into pieces (optional)

Method

1. Put the ribs in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 min, then drain and rinse off the scum. This keeps the broth clean.
2. Return the ribs to the clean pot with the 2.5 l water, the herb sachet, the garlic bulbs and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently over low heat for 1 hour.
3. Add the shiitake (and their strained soaking water), both soy sauces and the sugar. Simmer for 30 min more, until the meat pulls easily from the bone.
4. Add the tofu puffs and enoki (if using) and simmer for 5 min so the puffs soak up the broth. Taste: it should be herbal, peppery and savoury, so add salt or more soy sauce to taste.
5. Mix the chopped chilli and garlic with the soy sauce for dipping. Serve the ribs and broth in bowls with rice, you tiao for dunking and a pot of Chinese tea.

Tips

• Ready-mixed bak kut teh sachets (dang gui, chuan xiong, dang shen, cinnamon and star anise) are sold in Asian shops and make this very easy.
• Singapore-style bak kut teh is clear and fiery with pepper rather than herbal; double the peppercorns and leave out the herb sachet and dark soy.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste Asian Food Noob Cook What To Cook Today