Pork Soup with Bak Kut Teh Spices

What this picture lacks is green. Unfortunately, I ran out of green onions and leeks and cilantro or anything green! But even though this bowl of hot soup lacks in color, it is truly full of taste! I hope you get to try it!

I was able to taste the famous Singapore Bak Kut Teh (Pork Soup) when I visited Singapore a couple of years ago. However, I remember each bowl of Bak Kut Teh tastes different in different restaurants. I remember it being flavorful with spices. So maybe, each restaurant or food stall have different proportions of herbs used. Regardless of the difference, we loved the soup!

I never tried making this soup at home. Hmmm, come to think of it, I wonder why? These days, I think we can easily find the recipes on the internet. That's what we food bloggers are here for, right? Anyway, I was quite happy when I found this pack at one of the bigger supermarkets. I'm sure similar packets will also be available in Asian groceries.




The flavors and spices are already prepared! Isn't this great? The ingredients listed in the pack are: Chinese Angelica, Barbary Wolfberry Fruit, Szechwan Lovage Rhizome, Liquorice root, dried tangerine peel, cinnamon, star anise, pepper, fennel, coriander, salt, caster sugar, monosodium glutamate, ajitide I+G (Disodium 5' - Isonate Disodium 5' - Guanylate). The first few ingredients listed are familiar to me. But I was frowning at the monosodium glutamate and those others I cannot even read.

Still, I thought of giving this pack a try. Then maybe next time, I will have to research and try to cook this soup using all natural ingredients.

The instruction says to cook a kilo of chopped pork belly with bones in water, with the spices (the pack contains) and with whole garlic cloves.

Garlic. Now this is something I approve of in any soup, or in any dishes, for that matter. I know it produces halitosis, but that is a minor side effect compared to its various health benefits. Besides, since the whole family eats it, we do not really detect the smell from each other. To tell the truth, we rather like the smell of garlic. :)

Garlic can help prevent heart disease. Eating garlic can control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even cancer. In other words, it can prevent a wide range of diseases. I know of many people who even eat raw garlic as a replacement for their high blood pressure drugs. They claim garlic is an effective and cheaper and natural than the medicines prescribed by the doctors. But please do not do this without the knowledge and guidance of your family doctor. And have your blood pressure checked everyday if you are planning to do alternative medicine.





Sharing this deliciously spiced soup and the healthy garlic with the Weekend Herb Blogging community, now headed by our new herb goddess-in-chief Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once. This week's lovely host is my blogging friend, the soon-to-be chef who cooks a lot - Wiffy of Noobcook. Please do check out the third anniversary round-up done by WHB first chief Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen.