khaosworks: (Chef)
khaosworks ([personal profile] khaosworks) wrote2004-02-13 01:44 pm
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Adventures in Cooking: Bak Kut Teh

I made Bak Kut Teh (Hokkien, literally, "meat bone tea" - a traditional soup made with pork ribs and various herbs and spices)!

Thanks to my folks sending the proper spices to me in the care package I mentioned a few weeks ago, it came out great.

This really isn't much of a recipe because you really need to go down to an Asian market and hope they have the spices available (or order it online). The spices normally come pre-packaged these days, in a little filter bag that you dump into the soup. Just follow the directions on the packet.

But in general, for about 4 servings, take about 2 lbs of pork ribs, chopped into inch long chunks, 1 tbsp of thick soy sauce, 2 tbsps of light soy sauce, 12 whole cloves of garlic (more or less if you like it less garlicky).

Chuck them all in 1.5 quarts of boiling water together with the spice packet and simmer for about 35-40 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, if necessary (but probably isn't). Fish out the spice packet. Be careful not to puncture or tear it (the filter will probably be very delicate at this point) or else the spices inside will spill out into the soup and that might just be a bit too spicy for your taste.

Finally, chop up a handful of cilantro and stir it into the soup before serving with white rice and dark soy sauce to dip the ribs in. Oh, and Chinese tea, of course - tradition has it that the tea will cool down the spices and also take the edge off the oil from the pork ribs.

And there you go!

[identity profile] filceolaire.livejournal.com 2004-02-13 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)
mmmm. Spicy soup. Just the thing for clearing the sinuses.

Re:

[identity profile] khaosworks.livejournal.com 2004-02-13 07:38 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not really all that spicy. More peppery, I suppose, depending on how strong you make it. You can also chop up some chillies for the soy sauce dip if you want that added zing.

[identity profile] branna.livejournal.com 2004-02-13 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
That sounds absolutely delicious---I'm tempted to try making it myself :)

[identity profile] trektone.livejournal.com 2004-02-13 07:47 pm (UTC)(link)
A bit off the main topic, but I'm curious to know what "Chinese tea" means here. I looked at the link you provided, which also noted "good ol' Chinese tea." Is it a generic black tea? Or oolong? Or jasmine?

Re:

[identity profile] khaosworks.livejournal.com 2004-02-13 08:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Chinese tea can come in several varieties. Generic black tea or Oolong will do fine.

Re:

[identity profile] trektone.livejournal.com 2004-02-13 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, thanks. I wanted to know if the phrase specified one kind/type of tea, so I guess it doesn't.

[identity profile] misshallelujah.livejournal.com 2004-02-14 03:32 am (UTC)(link)
MmMMmmmm bak kut teh! :D
Should I be ashamed that I never learnt how to cook?