Peppery Klang-Style Bak Kut Teh

⏱ 150 min · Serves 4

A soul-warming Malaysian pork rib soup, simmered slow with garlic bulbs, whole white peppercorns and a bundle of warming herbs until the meat slides off the bone. Serve with steamed rice, dark soy chilli dip and a pot of strong tea — the broth alone is worth the wait.

Per serving: 642 kcal · 48.0g protein · 14.0g carbs · 44.0g fat

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg meaty pork ribs, cut into 5cm lengths
• 300 g pork belly, cut into chunks (optional but excellent)
• 2 whole garlic bulbs, papery skin on, tops trimmed
• 2 tbsp white peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2.5 litres water
• 1 packet (about 30 g) bak kut teh herbal spice mix, or: 10 g dang gui (angelica), 10 g yu zhu (solomon's seal), 5 g chuan xiong, 4 red dates, 1 tsp goji berries
• 2 star anise
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp rock sugar or caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt, to taste
• 200 g enoki or shiitake mushrooms
• 2 pieces fried beancurd puffs (tau pok), halved
• 1 head baby pak choi or 100 g lettuce, separated
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 2 red chillies, sliced, plus 3 tbsp dark soy sauce, to serve
• Steamed jasmine rice and fried dough sticks (you tiao), to serve

Method

1. Put the ribs and pork belly in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil hard for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse each piece under cold running water to remove all scum. Wash the pot.
2. Return the clean pork to the pot with 2.5 litres fresh water, the whole garlic bulbs, crushed white and black peppercorns, the herbal spice bundle (tie loose herbs in muslin), star anise and cinnamon.
3. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then reduce to the barest simmer. Cover partially and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes, until the meat is tender and pulling from the bone.
4. Stir in light soy, dark soy, oyster sauce and rock sugar. Taste and season with salt — the broth should be savoury, garlicky and pepper-hot at the back of the throat.
5. Add the mushrooms and beancurd puffs and simmer 10 minutes more, then drop in the pak choi for the final 2 minutes so it stays green.
6. Fish out the muslin bundle and whole spices. Ladle into deep bowls, making sure everyone gets a garlic bulb to squeeze out.
7. Scatter with spring onions. Serve with rice, you tiao for dunking, and a saucer of dark soy with sliced chilli for dipping the pork.