Teochew Bak Kut Teh (潮州肉骨茶)

INGREDIENTS:

1kg meaty pork ribs, cut into individual ribs

10 pcs blanched cleaned chicken feet

9 cups bone broth (from 2 tbsp. pork bouillon powder)

(1 3/4 tbsp. pork stock powder plus 1 tbsp. rock sugar, bring to the boil and set aside)

FOR SOUP BASE:

4 tbsp. lightly crushed whole white peppercorns

1 1/2 tbsp. crushed black peppercorns 

4 bulbs whole skin on garlic 

2 tsp. salt (to taste)

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse the garlic and cut off the bottom. Do note remove the skin. 

2. Toast the crushed peppercorns and garlic in the wok over medium heat till fragrant.  Place the toasted peppercorns into a soup bag. 

3. Bring a pot with plenty of water to boil and add in pork ribs, chicken feet and a pinch of salt. Continue to parboil for about 2-3 minutes. Discard the liquid and rinse the ribs. (set aside)

4. Place the semi cooked ribs, peppercorn bag and the toasted garlic into the stockpot and add in the bone broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Remove any foam on the layer of soup 

5. Simmer until the pork ribs are tender for about 70 to 90 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

6.  Serve the hot soup with the Royal Umbrella Savory Thai Hom Mali Rice (in the following recipe), Youtiao (Chinese fried dough sticks), oolong tea, some dark soya sauce and bird's-eye chili on the side. (Optional with some coriander leaves)

CHEF TIPS:

Teochew Bak Kut Teh is a version of pork ribs tea with a clear garlicky and peppery broth. Only a few ingredients and very easy to prepare.     

Royal Umbrella Savoury Rice

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups Royal Umbrella Thai Hom Mali Rice

3 cups hot water

1 stalk coriander root

3 whole garlic (mashed)

1 dried shitake mushroom

RICE SEASONINGS:

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. garlic oil (from Golden Circle Veg. oil)

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

1.  Wash and rinse one time for the Royal Umbrella Thai Hom Mali Rice. Soak the rice for 10 minutes. Drain the rice thoroughly and add in the rice seasoning ingredients and set aside.

2. Put the seasoned rice, coriander root, dried mushroom and mashed garlic into the rice cooker and add in hot water. Stir and mix well. Leave the rice in the rice cooker to cook. Once done, let it rest for 5 minutes.

3. Fluff rice with fork. 

CHEF TIPS:

Soaking the rice may speed up the cooking by kick-starting the absorption of water in rice before putting into the pot. To have the perfect separate grains, the rinsing of rice will remove the thin layer of starch from the surface of each grain that keep the rice from sticking together.