Imagine this: your tummy is rumbling, the weather is pouring, the skies are gloomy, and the breezy winds hit your face as you prepare to head out for a nice meal. You sift through the imagery of food in your head, weighing the pros and cons of local delicacies until you hear an audible click on your head.
Claypot Bak Kut Teh. The ultimate comfort food for many Malaysians. Be its monsoon season or extreme drought, Bak Kut Teh is a dish that is arguably universally loved!
This dish has long been a staple in our expansive list of local delights. The term “Bak Kut Teh” can be literally translated from Hokkien to mean “Meat Bone Tea”. Of course, no one refers to the dish as such since that would be silly. Bak Kut Teh comes in a few varieties that suit different taste buds, but the dry clay pot variant is a hot favourite amongst Malaysians!
Ingredients (4 Servings):
- 500 g of assorted pork sections (ribs/belly/bones) pre-cooked in broth
- 13 pieces of dried chillies
- 8 pieces of ladies finger
- 1” of ginger
- 5 cloves of garlic
(For the marinade)
- 5 tablespoons of cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
- 125ml of Bak Kut Teh soup broth
- Salt
- Spring onions (for garnishing)
- ¼ tablespoon of sugar
Directions:
- Cook the 500 g of assorted pork meat in the Bak Kut Teh soup broth.
- Slice the ladies’ fingers diagonally, ensuring that they are not too thin but not too thick either.
- Carefully remove the seeds from the dried chillies, and thoroughly rinse through with water, while caring not to come into contact with your eyes.
- Using the single inch of ginger, thinly slice into sizes that are no bigger than a bobby pin.
- Chop up the cloves of garlic. If you prefer your Bak Kut Teh to have a stronger tinge of garlic, feel free to use 3 cloves instead. Otherwise, stick to the recommended serving.
- Remove the pork meat from the Bak Kut Teh soup broth. The meat should be tender to the touch.
- Proceed to heat a clay pot with 1.5 spoons of cooking oil.
- Add the garlic and ginger bits into the clay pot, evenly spreading it to ensure the entire clay pot is evenly prepped.
- Pour and evenly mix the pork, oyster sauce, sugar, and dark soy sauce to really bring out the fragrance.
- Add in the broth and allow it to boil.
- Lastly, add in the sliced ladies’ finger and mix well and allow the dish to simmer for at least 5 more minutes.
- Serve while piping hot and fresh!