Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Bak Kut Teh
Pork ribs simmered in a peppery, garlicky broth, Singapore's restorative bowl eaten with rice and dough fritters.
Singaporean · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 90 min
~1111 cal · 78g protein · 124g carbs · 34g fat · 5g fiber · 2g sugars · 11g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Bak kut teh, literally meat bone tea, is a beloved dish of Singapore and Malaysia, brought by Hokkien and Teochew immigrants. Despite the name, there is no tea in the bowl; the name refers to the strong tea traditionally sipped alongside to cut the richness.
The Singaporean Teochew style is a clear, intensely peppery and garlicky broth in which pork ribs are simmered until falling off the bone. Loaded with white pepper and whole garlic cloves, it is bracing and warming, served with steamed rice, youtiao (dough fritters) for dunking, and small dishes of chili and dark soy. It is a favourite any time, including as a filling breakfast.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, egg- and nut-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 lb pork ribs
2 heads whole garlic cloves
2 tbsp white peppercorns, crushed
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 dough fritters (youtiao), to serve
4 cups cooked rice, to serve
Instructions
1
Blanch the ribs briefly, then rinse to keep the broth clear.
2
Simmer the ribs with the whole garlic, crushed white pepper, and soy in plenty of water until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
✎ Chef’s note
Be generous with the white pepper and garlic; the peppery kick is the whole point of the Singaporean style.
3
Season the broth to taste with more soy and pepper.
4
Serve in bowls with rice and youtiao for dunking.
Singaporean Teochew tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Singapore. Hawker culture in Singapore was inscribed on UNESCO's representative list on 16 December 2020, the country's first inscription. What was listed is the whole arrangement rather than any dish: the centres themselves, the stall licences, the shared tables and the habit of eating most meals out of them.
🗺️
Singapore. Singapore is a hawker-center paradise where Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Peranakan cuisines collide, Hainanese chicken rice, chili crab, laksa, and kaya toast. Food is the national obsession, and the hawker stall its temple.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Singapore
Hainanese Chicken RiceSilken poached chicken over rice cooked in its broth, with chili-ginger sauce, Singapore’s national obsession.
Kaya ToastToasted bread spread with coconut-egg kaya jam and butter, with soft-cooked eggs and kopi.
Pulut HitamA warm porridge of black glutinous rice sweetened with palm sugar and finished with salty coconut cream, a Nyonya classic.
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Good to know
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Bak Kut Teh?
Pork ribs simmered in a peppery, garlicky broth, Singapore's restorative bowl eaten with rice and dough fritters.
Where does Bak Kut Teh come from?
Bak Kut Teh is a Singaporean dish from Singapore, Singapore.
Can Bak Kut Teh be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Bak Kut Teh recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Bak Kut Teh safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Bak Kut Teh take to make?
About 105 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 90 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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