I always thought it’s tough to cook the Singapore style of bak ku teh, that’s why the really famous ones locally are always seen in crowds. But then again, it’s actually not that tough at all, and only a few ingredients and time is all you need ! And you certainly do not need any premix at all. In fact the raw ingredients itself are perhaps even cheaper than the premix !!
The end result is a very peppery and rich bak ku teh ! I think it isn’t in any way inferior as compared to the famous stalls and it’s certainly very very delicious !! And cooking it up in a clay pot gives the soup an extra aromatic boost. Having 1/2kg of pork ribs used 50g of white peppercorns which is just nice for a whole bottle that was purchased. So there wasn’t any wastage at all !
I prefer the Singapore style of bak ku teh anytime as compared to the many types. The hot peppery soup and a bowl of rice is all I ever need to complete this meal. And this is the kind of soup that I will never get sick of having day in day out.
And if you need fresh pork ribs anytime, do get them from PurelyFresh to complete your bak ku teh feast!
Enjoy !!
- 500g pork ribs
- some button mushrooms (optional)
- 1.2L water
- 10 pcs whole garlics, with skin on
- 50g white peppercorns
- ½ tsp chicken powder
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
Blanch the pork ribs in some boiling water for approximately 3 minutes. (This is to get rid of all the impurities and excess oils.)
Drain the pork ribs after they have all turned white in colour and set aside.
Heat up the clay pot with 1 tbsp of cooking oil and add in the whole garlics and white peppercorns. Saute and roast till fragrant.
Remove the garlics and white peppercorns. Allow the white peppercorns to cool slightly before placing them in a soup stock bag.
Add the water into the clay pot together with the garlics and soup stock bag.
Add the blanched pork ribs from Steps 1 and 2.
Cover the clay pot and allow it to simmer on low heat for 2 hours.
Remove the soup stock bag and garlics. Filter away any excess fats or impurities that's floating on the surface of the soup.
Add the button mushrooms if using.
Add the chicken powder.
Garnish as desired and serve with red chillies in dark soy sauce.
