Bak Kut Teh Night!

It's been a while since we had Bak Kut Teh ( it's too unhealthy to eat too often!), so I decided to make some for dinner last night. I used the herbs that my mom bought from Lim Wah Thai the last time we were in Penang. It's really good and easy to make.

It comes in a box of 6 individual packets and cost RM48 (approx US$13). They had some kind of promotion going on when we there and we got 9 packets for RM48! Pretty decent price for something so good :D You can see from the photo all the different kinds of herbs that can be found inside the packet. There are some Tong Kooi, Tong Som, Gaik Teik, Sok Teh and some other secret chinese herbs and spices in a small pouch. The lady at the sales counter said that this herbs will help improve blood circulation, revitalize the body and helps nourish the skin. Woohoo! Another reason to eat Bak Kut Teh often!! ;P

Like I said earlier, it's really easy to make. First, you need to boil approximately 2.5 liters of water.

Once it comes to a rapid boil, add in all the herbs and pouch from the packet. Put in some salt and sugar to taste. Let it continue to boil on high for at least 45 minutes. I would usually let it boil for an hour.

I bought a little over 1 lbs of short ribs and another 1.5 lbs of fatty pork shoulder to add into the soup later on. I also bought a can of oyster mushrooms and pre soaked some dried chinese shitake mushrooms in water. I usually would add golden straw mushrooms too but I forgot to buy some for yesterday. You can pretty much use any type of pork that you like. I sometimes would use pork belly or pork knuckles instead of pork shoulder, depending on what's available in the grocery store. If you do not like pork, you can also use 1 whole skinless chicken too.

After letting the herbs boil for an hour, transfer the stock to the slow cooker. I like to use the slow cooker to make Bak Kut Teh because I can just leave it on the whole day and the meat becomes really tender and nice. Add in 3 whole cloves of garlic (do not peel off the skin or smash the garlic) and the pork. Turn on the slow cooker and put it on 'low'. Let it cook slowly for about 6 hours then add in the mushrooms. Turn the setting on to 'high' for about an hour and the Bak Kut Teh is done!

We had the Bak Kut Teh with steamed white rice and yau char kwai that we bought from the Asian grocery shop. Mmm mmm mmm...nothing beats a pot of steaming hot Bak Kut Teh on a cold winters night :D