Soup-er Delight: Malaysian Bak Kut Teh
Bak Kut Teh – The air thick with the aroma of simmered spices. This peppery pork rib soup is more than just a meal.
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork ribs, cut into small pieces
- 1000 ml water
- 10 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- Sugar to taste
- Salt to taste
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
Instructions
- Crush the white and black peppercorns together in a mortar and pestle (or spice grinder). Grind them coarsely to get a kick of peppery spice. Loosely bundle them in a cheesecloth or food-grade sachet, then tie it securely so the spices don't come out during simmering. Set this spice bundle aside.
- Place the pork ribs in a big pot and cover with water; bring to boil over high heat. Boil thoroughly for ten minutes. This works in the cleansing of impurities and excessive fat. In a colander, rinse pork with tap water to wash off blood and scum.
- Clean the pot and put the blanched pork ribs back to the pot. Return boiled water which is about 2 ½ liters or 10 cups and add fresh water. After bringing to boil, lower the heat to a sub-simmer and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Dip off any coagulated toppings when they float on the surface during this period to have a clear soup.
- Place the cooked spice bundle together with the cheesecloth or the sack wherein the ground pepper, star anise and cinnamon is placed, to the pot. Throw in the garlic cloves with their peels on. Occupy the pot and continue to cook with the lid on for 30 minutes more or until the pork is tender and coming off the bones.
- Add soy sauce to the broth depending on your preference, light or dark soy sauce. To achieve the taste you want, start with a little salt and then you can add more to get the amount of salt you need for your dish or to get the umami flavour you want. Using spoons, scoop the delicious soup and the soft and succulent pieces of pork into different plastic serving bowls.