Monday, August 16, 2010

Bak Kut Teh (Pork Ribs Tea Soup) 肉骨茶


Bak Kut Teh (Pork Ribs in Tea Soup) is  my dad's favorite. My dad is a pork lover. He likes almost every part of a pig from pork ear, pork belly, pork tail, pork trotter to pork intestines. Although mom seldom cook Bak Kut Teh at home, but cooking it once in a blue moon does cheer him up.

I don't like Bak Kut Teh until the recent years. This is my second time of cooking bak kut teh over the past few years. The savory soup is heavenly infused with Chinese herbs, but not overpowering. It'll be so blissful to have a bowl of hot soup on rainy day to warm up my stomach.


A bowl of home cooked bak kut teh...hmm...can you smell the aroma? I don't add pork intestines, but I have pork belly, pork ribs, meatballs, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, green veggies, and fried-beancurd. With the dipping sauce, that's enough to boost my appetite.

I'm sharing this non-halal dish in Merdeka Open House 2010 organized by Babe in the City - KL

Bak Kut Teh (Pork Ribs Tea Soup)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
450gm of pork ribs, chopped into pieces
250gm of pork belly, cut into bite size
20 meatballs
3 pieces of hard beancurd, cut into bite-sized and fried till golden brown
6 caps of dried shiitake mushroom, dehydrated
200gm of enoki mushroom, cut-off the bottom part and cleaned
1 bulb of garlic, cleaned
40gm of bak kut teh spices mix (I use a packet of "Claypot" brand Bakuteh Kau)
yau mak or lettuce 
2 liter water or more

Seasonings:
1tbsp of oyster sauce
1/2 tsp of dark soy sauce (for coloring)
light soy sauce to taste

Dipping Sauce (Mix-up all):
chopped garlic
bird's eye chili, chopped
dark soy sauce
light soy sauce

Steps:
1. Bring water to boil in a pot. Add a bulb of garlic and the 2 filter bags of bak kut teh spices. Leave it simmers for 15 minutes.

2. Blanch the pork ribs and pork belly in hot boiling water to remove scum.

3. Add the pork ribs and pork belly into the soup and leave it simmer for 1 hour. Top up water from time to time. Add seasonings.

4. Add the shiitake mushroom and fried beancurd. Leave it simmers for another 1 hour.

5. Add meatballs, enoki mushroom and veggies. Dish out and serve hot with white rice or yam rice.

22 comments:

ann low said...

Bak Kut Teh is my family favorite and I can see there are lots of ingredients in it, looks so delicious!
BTW please visit my new site
@http://anncoojournal.blogspot.com and join the little giveaway.

WendyinKK said...

First time I see the addition of pork balls in BKT. Very interesting.

I bet you dad will be drooling before dinner time. It's so nice to have a daughter cook him his favourite meal.

CRIZ LAI said...

Ooo... nice! I just had the dry Klang BKT last night. :P

http://crizfood.com/

Little Inbox said...

Anncoo, I just paid you a visit. :) Finally you are back. I was wondering where have you been.

wendyywy, pork balls is very common in Penang Bak Kut Teh. Too bad that this round I cook for my hubby, not for my dad. Hahaha...

Criz, from the same favorite stall in Butterworth?

Duckie said...

My family's all time favourite!

Noob Cook said...

I'm also making bkt tonight, but I'm so lazy, I use prepacked mix. Love your home cooked version :)

Anonymous said...

I don't eat pork but I love drinking the bak kut teh soup. Love the herbal flavour.

FOODnTRAVELla said...

I love BKT with lots of garlics, tong kwai and pork belly.

Elin said...

What could we live without garlic :p and I came here panting for more....your bak kut teh looks so yummy and with that clove of garlic staring at me :p

I want a bowl too and with lots of garlic in it :)

the lacquer spoon said...

Thanks for introducing the nutritious recipe! We need it to survive the summer heat :)

My Little Space said...

I like Bak kut teh soup alot but not the meat! I normally cook with chicken(my family doesn't take red meat). Your photos look very very seducing! Wish that I can have a bowl right now! yummm.... Enjoy your evening.
Cheers, kristy

My Little Space said...

I have to jump back and say all your photos are stunning! Keep on the good work.
Kristy

Cooking Gallery said...

Bak kut teh!! My mum absolutely love this dish. I still have an instant Bakuteh spices, maybe I should make it as well in the next few days!

tigerfish said...

Look at those garlic cloves that are sticking out with one another :)...in the BKT...lol

So yummy!

Little Inbox said...

Duckie, I see. Our family only have it once in a few months.

noobcook, so coincident, hehe...By the way, I used premix spices too.

Mei Teng, you can substitute pork with chicken too. :) and now, you can even make vegetarian bak kut teh.

Little Inbox said...

FOODnTRAVELla, I see. I used premix spices, so I didn't add tong quai, just add garlic. :)

My Little Space, I'm back to pork recently and reduce the intake of chicken, haha...the other way round. I only buy free range chicken these days.
Thanks to you. I'll keep up to improve my blog. :)

Hi Cooking Gallery,thanks for dropping by and follow my blog. I hope you can use up the bak kut teh spice soon. :)

tigerfish, I add whole bulb of garlic, haha...

petite nyonya said...

esp on a rainy day like today in KL, bak kut teh is the perfect dinner!

mysimplefood said...

I made this over the weekend too. your presentation is beautiful.

Little Inbox said...

the lacquer spoon, in fact this soup dish is quite heaty. It's suitable to take during the cool weather, not summer.

petite nyonya, yea, recently rain quite frequent.

mysimplefood, thanks. So coincident, hehe..

Babe_KL said...

Thanks for participating and do come and check out the spread on Merdeka Day

Little Inbox said...

babe_kl, ok sure. :)

Pretty. Good. Food. said...

Oh man this looks delicious! And your photographs are beautiful! Everything here looks great!
I recently launched my own blog, I'd love for you to check it out and let me know what you think! :) Thanks!
www.prettygoodfood.com

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