Malaysian bak kut teh ("pork bone tea" soup)

Ingredients

• 1 package of Bak Kut Teh herbal pre-mixes
• 400g of pork ribs, chopped into large chucks and rinsed
• 2 garlic bulbs
• 5 dried Shitake mushrooms, soaked and cut into halves
• 100g of enoki mushroom, stems discarded and soak
• A handful of tofu puffs
• 2000ml water

Seasoning:

• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
• Dash of white pepper powder, to taste
• Salt to taste

Dipping sauce or condiment :

• 5 bird’s eyes chillies, chopped
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 pips of garlic, minced
• dark soy sauce (optional)

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Preparation

• 1. Soak dried shitake mushrooms in a bowl of water until it's pliable. After being reconstituted, slice each piece into half.
  
  2. In a stockpot filled with water, parboil or blanch the spare ribs until scum floats to the surface. Discard the froth, remove and rinse spareribs under cold running water and drain.
  
  3. In a clay pot, pour in 2000ml of water and wait until it reaches rolling boil. Add in the blanched spare ribs, garlic bulb, Bak Kut Teh herbal pre-mixes, black dates and shitake mushrooms. Cover the lid and turn to low flame and simmer for 1-2 hours until the pork ribs become tender and all the herbal essence have been incorporated well into the soup. Skim off scum from the surface every now and then.
  
  4. Add in enoki mushroom and tofu puffs at the last 10 minutes of simmering. Season with 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce, adequate salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with steamed rice and Chinese crullers (dough fritters or 油条). It's at its best taken together with dipping sauce comprises of chopped bird's eye chilli, minced garlic in a full-bodied condiment of light soy sauce (sometimes with some dark soy sauce added in).
  
  Source :
  http://gladyskockhomeculinary.blogspot.com/2009/10/bak-kut-teh-pork-bone-tea-soup.html