Malaysian Bak Kut Teh Recipe
Bak Kut Tea (肉骨茶) or Pork Bone Tea is a Chinese-Malaysian soup dish.
Infused with herbs such as Dong Quai, cinnamon, star anise, and made with pork ribs, dried Shitake mushrooms, tofu puffs and garlic, Bak Kut Teh soup fills the kitchen with evocative scents.
This recipe takes a couple hours of slow boiling but the end result is so delicious.
The best cookware for this delicacy is a clay pot.
This dish is commonly served and eaten with:
- A bowl of plain white rice or yam rice
- Yau char kway (Chinese crullers)
- Stir-fried vegetables such as Chinese Greens in oyster sauce
- A small plate of chili, minced garlic and soy sauce dipping sauce
Intensely flavorful and hearty, Bak Kut Teh is my cup of tea!
If you try my recipe at home, do save the leftover soup as your breakfast the following day.
The aroma and taste of the herbs, spices and ingredients reaches the height the next morning.
You will find that leftover or “overnight” Bak Kut Teh tastes even better than freshly made.
Slurp the soup and savor each spoonful of it until there is no single drop left.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 260 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
Bak Kut Teh
Bak Kut Teh is a Malaysian herbal soup dish made with pork ribs and Chinese herbs. Traditionally made in a claypot, this homemade recipe is easy, authentic and hearty.
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 pack pre-packed Bak Kut Teh herbs
- 2 heads garlic
- 1 lb. pork ribs, cut into pieces
- 6 dried shitake mushrooms soaked and cut into halves
- 1 cup tofu puffs cut into halves
Seasoning:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 3 dashes white pepper powder
- salt to taste
Dipping Sauce:
- 4-5 bird's eyes chilies or Thai chilies sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Indonesian ABC sweet soy sauce
Directions
-
1
Add the water in a big claypot (preferred) or soup pot and bring it to boil. Add the garlic, Bak Kut Teh herbs, pork ribs, mushrooms, tofu puffs and simmer on low heat for about 1 - 2 hours.
-
2
Mix all the ingredients in the Dipping Sauce together. Transfer to a small condiment bowl.
-
3
Add in all ingredients in Seasoning and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve immediately with the Dipping Sauce.
Recipe Notes
Rasa Malaysia recommends pre-packed Bak Kut Teh herbs and spices from Veng Tatt Soon (荣德信) in Penang.
Dear Bee,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried it yesterday and the taste was just like eating at my favorite bak kut teh restaurant. 5 stars indeed. I got my prepacked herbs from the chinese herbal shop and used fresh shitake instead of the dried ones. With prices of essentials going up in Malaysia, bah kut teh at home is now going to be the norm. Highly recommend this recipe.
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Very nice
Just love your photo so much, it makes the food extra outstanding. I’ve been told by few bak kut teh shop owner the reason why home cook always cannot beat theirs is due to the amount of meat. Hope to get some tips from you how to make my home cook taste better.
Use more meat, haha. It’s true. :)
I was looking for this recipe ever since i saw it on chubby hubby’s site. Thanks!