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.
I’ve always liked the Malaysian name for this dish. But I must disagree. It’s not Pork Bone Tea. It’s Pork Bone Awesomeness.
– Chubbypanda
Lucia and Chris,
Correct! But I also like the Tofu Puffs, mushrooms, etc. I like it that with it goes so well with white rice…
lucia, I agree with you. It’s the soup that drives me crazy.
you know, the only thing i like about bah kut teh is the soup! yep, never like all the other ingredients at all.
Chris – that’s exactly my idea of food blogging, to make readers hungry! Just kidding. LOL.
Foodcrazee – yes, I hear you, but I soaked the mushrooms for hours to get rid of the mushroomy taste…hmm, but I didn’t write it down on my recipe…gotta change that. ;)
Audrey Cooks – No, we can actually find Claypot in the US, so I bought it here. Hehe.
Did u cart that claypot all the way from Penang? just curious … anyway, BKT ingredient is just like VISA card, don’t leave home without it!
Hey Mike! I knew u were gonna say that! no mushroom in BKT eh?
sayang, it’ll be good to blanch the pork ribs first. looks good but the shiitake mushroom will kill the herb taste. go slow on that. keep it up. make me drool….chuckle!
The more I read this blog, the more I feel hungry… what a mouth-watering blog…keep up
Bak Kut Tea, some vegetables, and rice, I can eat that for days.
I went to Penang 1st time in my life two weeks ago, and I didn’t have much time to eat around. Your article definitely gives me useful info about where I can eat during my next trip to Penang again. Thank you so much.
Let’s exchange links. Do let me know if you are interested in a friendly link, thanks again.