Bak Kut Teh – Herbal Pork Rib Soup, Klang Style

In Malaysia, you make bak kut teh from pork ribs, whole garlic bulbs and a mix of Chinese herbs and spices. The name comes from Hokkien and means meat bone tea. There is no tea in the soup, you drink it alongside. In Klang, a town west of Kuala Lumpur, the food stalls cook the broth dark, with soy sauce, angelica root, cinnamon and star anise.

By Laura Chen· November 4, 2026

1 Std 55 Mintotal

4servings

435kcal

MalaysianCuisine ›

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Parboil the ribs for 5 minutes first and rinse them, so the broth stays clear. Then they simmer for 90 minutes with the lid on, until the meat comes off the bone. Buy the herbs at an Asian grocery store as a ready-made mix in a bag. For the pale peppery broth in the Teochew style, which you get in Singapore, leave out the herbs and dark soy sauce and use more white pepper.

The table should have rice, a small dish of soy sauce with chili and Youtiao for dunking. A clear beef rib soup from Korea is under Galbitang, and the Indonesian version with ginger is under Sop Iga.

Image: AI-generated.

Bak Kut Teh – Herbal Pork Rib Soup, Klang Style

Name: Bak Kut Teh – Herbal Pork Rib Soup, Klang Style
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 35 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 1 kg pork spare ribs, cut into 5 cm pieces; 2 bulbs garlic, unpeeled; 1 bag bak kut teh herbal mix (35 to 40 g); 1 cinnamon stick; 2 star anise; 1 tsp white peppercorns; 2 l water; 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce; 1 tbsp sugar; 6 dried shiitake, soaked in water for 20 minutes; 100 g fried tofu cubes; salt to taste; 1 red chili, in rings; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 4 sprigs cilantro to garnish

Laura Chen

Servings

Prep time

20 minutes

Cook time

95 minutes

Calories

435

Cuisine

Malaysian

Ingredients

For the soup:

1 kg pork spare ribs, cut into 5 cm pieces
2 bulbs garlic, unpeeled
1 bag bak kut teh herbal mix (35 to 40 g)
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1 tsp white peppercorns
2 l water
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
6 dried shiitake, soaked in water for 20 minutes
100 g fried tofu cubes
salt to taste

To serve:

1 red chili, in rings
3 tbsp light soy sauce
4 sprigs cilantro to garnish

Instructions

Put the ribs in a pot of cold water, bring it to a boil and boil them for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse them cold.
Rinse the herbal mix in a sieve under cold water. If it is loose, put it in a cloth tea bag.
Put the ribs, garlic bulbs, herbs, cinnamon, star anise, peppercorns and 2 l water in a large pot and bring everything to a boil.
Stir in the light and dark soy sauce and the sugar. Simmer the soup gently with the lid on for 60 minutes.
Squeeze out the shiitake, remove the stems and add the mushrooms and tofu cubes. Simmer everything for 30 more minutes, until the meat comes off the bone.
Fish out the herb bag, cinnamon and star anise. Season the soup with salt and soy sauce.
Divide the ribs, garlic, mushrooms, tofu and broth among bowls and scatter cilantro on top. Stir the chili rings into the soy sauce and serve it with rice.

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Bak Kut Teh – Herbal Pork Rib Soup, Klang Style

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