Bak kut teh is the ultimate comfort dish—it’s perfect for those cold rainy nights or when you’re feeling under the weather and need a hearty meal. Tender pork simmered in a flavourful herbal soup made from a blend of various spices, it is best served with crispy yau char kwai and a bowl of hot oil rice. Recreate this at home with our authentic bak kut teh recipe.
Meal: Lunch, Dinner Cuisine: Chinese
Preparation time: Cooking time: Total time: Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
Spices:
15g of foxglove root
5g of dried tangerine peels
10g of Chinese angelica root
5g of Szechuan lovage
10g of liquorice root
15g of Solomon's seal
5 black dates
5 red dates
5g of goji berries
5g of codonopsis pilosula
5g of star anise
15g of cinnamon sticks
1 tsp of Sichuan pepper
1 tsp of fennel seeds
½ tbsp of cloves
Main:
1 head of garlic, peeled
4500ml of water
5g of ginger
800g of pork
1 ½ tbsp of soy sauce
1 ½ tbsp of oyster sauce
½ tbsp of dark soy sauce
½ tbsp of salt
½ tbsp of white pepper
5 tofu puffs
15g of enoki mushroom
3g of iceberg lettuce
5 fried beancurd skins
Equipment
1 spice bag
1 pan
2 pots
Photo: SBS (Website)
Directions
Add all the spices into a spice bag and secure with a string.
In a pan over medium heat, toast the garlic head until brown. Set aside.
In a pot, bring 500ml of water to a boil and add the ginger and pork.
Once the water begins to boil again, remove the pork and set it aside.
In a separate pot, add the remaining water, blanched pork, and spice bag.
Bring the broth to a boil and immediately turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, white pepper and stir to mix. Let the broth simmer for 4 hours.
Remove the spice bag.
Add the tofu puffs, enoki mushroom, iceberg lettuce, and fried beancurd skin. Cook for 2 minutes.
Serve immediately!
Enhanced Flavours
You can prepare this bak kut teh recipe a day in advance and let it rest overnight for a more flavourful broth. After boiling for 4 hours, simply set it aside to cool until it’s at room temperature and leave it in the fridge overnight. The bak kut teh can be kept for up to five days, but it’s recommended to consume the following day for the best results.
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