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| Yup! Self-proclaimed "The Best Bak Kut Teh" with nods and thumbs up signs from my guinea pigs :D |
Bak Kut Teh or 肉骨茶 literally translates as "meat bone tea", which is basically pork simmered in a broth of herbs and spices for hours until the meat is soft, tender and easily fall of the bone. Additional ingredients like mushrooms, fried tofu puffs, vegetables and offal can be added to the dish to make it a complete meal. I love my Bak Kut Teh soupy instead of the dry version, with significant taste and smell of herbs but not too over-powering. In summary, "light but flavourful", is to me what makes a good Bak Kut Teh. A good Bak Kut Teh does not have the oily aftertaste that makes you laden with guilt nor does it have the bitter aftertaste that makes you want to scrap your whole tongue off. It has to be light with a good balance of flavour to make you smile the entire day :)
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| Additional Ingredients I added in my Bak Kut Teh :D |
How to make a good Bak Kut Teh experience better? For me, I love it simple with normal white rice soaked in the soup. No thanks to yam rice, oily rice or whatever fancy rice you have to offer me. Just plain white rice would do so I can taste the original flavour of my precious Bak Kut Teh soup. And if you have fresh youtiao (Chinese deep fried dough fritters) which are still nice and crispy, I would take a double serving anytime and give you additional 3 stars! Heh! Oh, and don't you forget the important condiments which are crucial to enhance the flavour of a good Bak Kut Teh - chopped garlic or chilli padi (bird's eye chilli) in soy sauce. Now, put all that combination in your mouth and just wait for the awesomeness to kick in!! YUMMMM! :D
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| Important condiments to go with your Bak Kut Teh :) |
If your love for Bak Kut Teh is the same as mine, then this recipe is a must-try! :D Absolutely easy to prepare at home and to impress your guinea pigs.
Here is the recipe to cook for 4 people:
Main Ingredients:
1 packet of Bak Kut Teh Herb Mix (Recommended Brand: A1)
Pork Ribs, chopped to pieces and cleaned
1 packet of Enoki Mushrooms
1 can of Whole Button Mushrooms
Iceberg Lettuce
A few cloves of garlic
Optional: A handful of red dates and ginger
Seasoning:
4 tablespoon of Light Soy Sauce
2 tablespoon of Dark Soy Sauce
2 table spoon of Oyster Sauce
Salt & White Pepper
Condiments:
Chopped garlic
Chopped chilli padi
Light Soy Sauce
Step 1: Following the package instruction for the amount of water needed, bring the pot of water to boil. Once boil, throw in the herb mix, red dates, ginger and garlic. Let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2: (Optional) To remove the "porky" smell of the ribs, I blanched it in a pot of water with ginger before I rinse it slightly with cold water.
Step 3: Add the pork ribs into the pot of herb soup and allow it to simmer for at least another 30 minutes before adding the seasonings - light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for another 30 minutes (the bf likes the soup peppery, so I added more pepper. You can adjust the seasonings to your own preference).
Step 4: Add in the Enoki mushrooms, button mushrooms and iceberg lettuce. Stir well and cooked until the lettuce are soft (but still crispy) and serve with a bowl of hot white rice :) Don't forget your condiments too! >_<
And that's it, another easy recipe for you to try (takes longer to cook but shorter preparation time)!
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| Dinner's Ready!! :D |
It's really really yummy and I highly recommend the A1 Brand, for only $4.50 a packet I bought from Boxhill Centro - inside the packet, there were fresh herbs which I rinse slightly with cold water before cooking it and also a small tea-bag of grounded herbs which you can just throw into the water. Overall, it was very flavourful but not bitter. The ribs, red dates and lettuce definitely helped to sweeten the broth :)
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| Recommended Brand: A1 Herbal Soup |
Hope you like this one!
Enjoy! :D
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