My take on this classic. One, marinate (i.e. brine) the ribs. Two, supercharge the soup with pork bone. Three – a modernist touch – use a thermometer. 70 degree C is the magic number.
Intro
If you understand the title, we share a common language. Bak Kut Teh, or 肉骨茶 is well loved in Singapore, Malaysia, and a bit of Thailand. If you haven’t heard of it, you will not understand what the dish is, even if you can translate it.
Bak Kut Teh translates as “Pork Bone Tea”. It refers to pork ribs simmered in a watery broth (not a stew). The dish is often taken with Chinese tea – there is no tea in the recipe. As you move from Malaysia to Singapore, the broth will take on a whole range of hues and flavours. Some are dark with soya sauce, assertive and bitter with the rich aroma of Chinese herbs. Some, are innocently clear, but carry the punch of pepper and garlic, and a rich umami. The local variations add to the pleasure of chasing down this dish on your travels.
The origins of the dish are unclear. I “prefer” the version of history that claims this was invented in the region by immigrant Chinese. In the old days of Singapore, the port labourers – the “coolies” – ate this (with a lot of rice!) to fuel their hard physical work. Singapore was build on the backs of these coolies, with bellies of Bak Kut Teh.
Despite the variations, there is no confusion over what is a Bak Kut Teh, and what makes a good one. The ribs must be simmered to fall-off-the-bone tenderness. The broth is watery (not a gravy), and must be rich and satisfying.
All in all, this is an easy dish to do. The real ingredient is time. And lots of pork bone.
Overview
This recipe is for the lighter (but not the white Teochew) version. I used Song Fa spices. It takes a whole day. In the morning, simmer a kg of pork bones, while you marinate the ribs in light soya and white pepper. Some time in the afternoon, stain the stock. Simmer the ribs in the stock with the seasonings….. till the meat can be pulled off the bone.
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork prime ribs (see notes)
- 1 kg pork bones
- One pack Bak Kut Teh Spices (I used Song Fa – I believe it’s a lot of pepper, some coriander, some components of Chinese five spice)
- Lots of Garlic
- Soya sauce – light and dark, to taste
- Ground white pepper
- Bean Curd Puffs, if desired.
Cook!
There is no real mise to speak of.
Clean pork bones. Some will prefer to blanch the bones to rid some of the fat and other nasty bits, before making stock.
Simmer. I start water boiling in a boil, and transfer to a slow cooker. Toss in a bulb of garlic, and some whole peppers, if you like.
As soon as the stock is underway, marinate the ribs. I use light soya sauce and ground white pepper. This achieves two things. One, the flavour goes deep into the ribs. Two, you are effectively brining them, resulting in juicy, tender ribs. To this end, it can get a little sciency – I think you need to dilute the light soya to achieve optimal brining concentrations. About one part soya to two parts water should do nicely (see my note below). Flip the ribs several times, and leave it in the fridge for a few hours. If you can, flip occasionally.
After several hours, strain the pork stock. At this point, the stock should be so rich you will be tempted to sip at it all day. Don’t drink it all!
It’s time for the ribs, the spice pack, and other ingredients you might like. I toss in the tofu puffs and the spice pack first.
The reason I do this – I want to keep the ribs of the bottom of the pan. You want to protect the ribs from direct heat. In they go, on top….
I toss in more garlic, and add light and dark soya to taste.
Once the ribs are in, I allow the soup to boil, then lower the heat to a slow simmer. This is very important. High heat will ruin and dry out the ribs – yes meat dries out, even when you boil it in water. If you have a thermometer, you are aiming for 70 degrees C. At this temp, the connective tissues in the ribs can break down, without the meat getting excessively overcooked. If you can manage it, keep it at 70 degrees all the time (like rig a PID controller?).
Wait. Wait. Wait. When you can pull the meat off the bone, its ready.
You likely want to serve this with the soup piping hot (it ain’t a Bak Kut Teh otherwise). I am so particular, I remove the ribs from the broth, before I boil it.
I then reassemble, just before eating.
And yes, its worth a whole day.
Notes :
On the ribs – the best ribs I think are the back ribs taken from beside the loin, with all the meat attached. In our local context, the supermarkets label these as “prime ribs”. In a wet market, well, nowadays the uncles and aunties call them prime ribs too. Or Bak Kut Teh ribs. What you want to avoid are the “loin ribs” taken from further along the spine, closer to the tail section.
On the marinate/brine – the ideal brining ratio is about 40 grammes of salt per litre of water. Most light soya sauces have way more than that – like 120 grammes per litre, and should be diluted. To figure this, look up the label. The sodium content will be stated somewhere. Once you figure how many grammes of sodium per litre there is, multiply by 2.5 (from the atomic weights – (23+35)/23), and this will give you the grammes of salt (sodium chloride) per litre. Dilute accordingly. Too complicated? Don’t fret, two or three times dilution should work – the mixture should taste like seawater. Yah.