For Chinese New Year we decided to go with a Chinese soup — of Teo Chew origin, with some Hokkien in there too — so well tied to our heritage. It's essentially a big bowl of pork spare ribs, boiled up in all those spices so they penetrate the meat. And I have been craving it all winter.
And here I will admit to some laziness. Because while I'm sure there are many recipes to be found (and include ingredients such as ginseng, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds and garlic according to Wikipedia), I took the total cheater route here.
Yes, I'm sorry to say, I used a packet. Or, more correctly stated, a packaged version of Bah Kut Teh that includes inside it two "tea bag" like packets that boil in water to create the luscious soup. My parents picked up "the best" Bah Kut Teh packet from "the original" place Kee Hiong Klang.
So, it's pretty easy. Get 3-4 lbs of pork spare ribs, cut into small thumb length pieces. Marinate for a couple of hours with a couple of tablespoons each of light and dark soy sauce (skip that step if you're in a hurry). Boil up a little less than three liters of water, and then throw in 6-8 pieces of black garlic (found in packaged food — essentially "rotten" garlic), the spare ribs, and the two spice packets. Boil rapidly for about 15 minutes and then simmer for another 90 minutes or longer.
That's it. Super simple. The pork tastes great with rice, the soup is very flavorful and fragrant. The only thing I think is a little weird is that the soup is just the broth and the pork. Next time, I'll make it with some real chunks of garlic, and maybe some additional things like pieces of garlic and maybe some winter melon and some dried mushrooms.
So, Happy Chinese New Year everyone! May the Year of the Tiger bring us all good things.
Yum. Maybe adding bok choi would make it seem heartier? Along with the dried mushrooms. Thanks for your Sunday Supper recipes. They are enriching!