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Bak kut teh (Singapore peppery style)
Pork rib pepper soup
Bak kut teh (肉骨茶): Teochew pork ribs in a clear, garlicky white-pepper broth
Singapore's riverside bak kut teh shops, around Rangoon Road, Balestier and the old Clarke Quay docks, still open early for the kind of customer the dish was made for: a hungry worker wanting a fortifying bowl before a long day. Unlike the dark, herbal Malaysian versions, the Teochew style here is a clear, golden broth that bites with white pepper and is sweet with whole bulbs of garlic, poured over meaty pork ribs that have simmered until tender. It is eaten with white rice, youtiao (fried dough sticks) to dunk, braised peanuts or salted vegetables, a dish of dark soy with chopped chilli, and a pot of strong oolong tea to cut the fat. A common mistake is to let the pot boil hard, which clouds the broth and toughens the ribs; it should only shiver. Chef's tip: toast the crushed white pepper in a dry pan for a minute before it goes in, for a deeper, rounder heat.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 ¼ lb meaty pork spare ribscut into 6 cm pieces
- 2 garlic bulbswhole, unpeeled, loose papery skin rubbed off
- 2 tbsp white peppercornscoarsely crushed
- 1 tsp black peppercornscoarsely crushed
- 2 tsp saltto taste
- 1 tbsp gluten-free light soy sauceordinary soy sauce contains wheat
- ⅓ oz rock sugaror 2 tsp sugar
To serve
- 4 bowls cooked jasmine rice
- 4 tbsp gluten-free dark soy saucefor dipping; ordinary dark soy contains wheat
- 2 red chillieschopped, mixed into the dark soy
- 2 youtiao (fried dough sticks) (optional)cut into pieces; contains wheat, leave out for gluten free
- 1 tbsp fried garlic (optional)
- 1 handful coriander leaves (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 2 ¼ lb meaty pork spare ribs in a large pot of cold water, bring to the boil and blanch for 5 minutes, until a grey scum rises.
8 minStep 2: Drain the ribs, rinse each piece under the tap to wash off the scum and scrub out the pot. This is what keeps the broth clear.
Step 3: Toast 2 tbsp white peppercorns and 1 tsp black peppercorns in a dry pan over a medium-low heat for 1 minute, shaking, until they smell warm and spicy. Tie them in a spice bag or square of muslin.
1 minStep 4: Return the ribs to the clean pot with 2.5 litres of fresh water, 2 garlic bulbs, the pepper bag and ⅓ oz rock sugar. Bring slowly to the boil over a medium heat.
10 minStep 5: Turn the heat to low so the surface barely trembles. Simmer, partly covered, skimming off any foam, until the meat is tender and starts to shrink back from the bone; it will be far past 160°F by then.
90 minStep 6: Season with 2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp gluten-free light soy sauce. Taste: the broth should be clean, garlicky and sharply peppery; add more crushed white pepper if you want more bite.
Step 7: Mix 4 tbsp gluten-free dark soy sauce with 2 red chillies in small dishes for dipping.
Step 8: Ladle the ribs, a few soft garlic cloves and plenty of broth into bowls and scatter with 1 tbsp fried garlic and 1 handful coriander leaves. Serve with 4 bowls cooked jasmine rice and 2 youtiao (fried dough sticks) for dunking. Hawkers top bowls up with hot broth, so keep the pot simmering for refills.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bak kut teh (Singapore peppery style) take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 105 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of black peppercorns?
- Ground black pepper, a little less than the amount.
- What can I use instead of gluten-free light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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