Recipe: Collagen Bak Kut Teh using NoMSG Premium Collagen Soup and Powders

Collagen bak kut teh? Hey, why not? 

Collagen is such the coveted beauty supplement. I do know the marine peptides work, but those can taste a bit fishy. Collagen in soup is definitely a nicer way to get your boost for skin, joints, nail and hair. 

And combining it with bak kut teh? Epic! 

Here's an easy way to get affordable, small batch, freshly cooked collagen packs - NoMSG. As the name implies, there's no MSG added. No salt, no additives, no preservatives. They double-boil the soups for 8-9 hours daily. And because they're an online shop selling direct to customers, they save a lot of costs on advertising and retail costs. 

The one-litre packs are now going for S$19.90. There's pork and chicken varieties.

I knew that this would automatically be perfect in hotpots, stews, soups, especially ramen broth and risotto or congee/mui fan. But I wanted to test this in something new and a bit more unusual. Bak Kut Teh? Hey, yeah, this would definitely work for the Teochew style light and peppery version. But would collagen work for the Klang style herbal broth? Only one way to find out.

 
OK, so you can't see much of a difference, but I'm glad to say the collagen pack didn't add extra fat to the soup, else it would have been too oily since the pork cuts are already pretty fatty. Tastewise, the difference is very subtle as collagen doesn't really have a flavour and the pack doesn't have salt in it. I guess this makes it a safe addition to most soups without altering viscosity or flavour.

However, the collagen certainly made its presence felt by being VERY filling. And I'm talking about the kind of fullness that can make this a one-meal-a-day dish. We cooked this for brunch and didn't need dinner. 

 

RECIPE: COLLAGEN BAK KUT TEH 

This is an extremely flexible recipe. You can choose whatever toppings you fancy. We kept it simple with basics like golden mushrooms, taupok (beancurd puffs) and lettuce. For the main herbal seasoning, we used a packet. If you don't want the heavy herbal taste, just omit this. The only things you must include are garlic and pepper. Loads of 'em. Those are the two critical ingredients for a good bak kut teh.

INGREDIENTS 

800g-1kg pork ribs (we added some pork belly in the mix)

1L water (adjust to taste)

1L NoMSG premium pork collagen

2 whole bulbs garlic 

3-4 tablespoons dark soy (to taste)

3-4 tablespoons soy sauce (to taste)

2 tablespoons white peppercorns, crushed (to taste)

Toppings of choice: mushrooms/beancurd/vegetables

Youtiao cut into bitesize pieces (this is not optional!) :P

METHOD

1. Parboil meat for 3-5 minutes to get rid of blood and scum.

2. Place meat with all ingredients in pot or pressure cooker* and boil for two hours or 25 minutes respectively.

3. Add thawed NoMSG pork collagen pack. Boil for another 10-15 minutes. Toppings can be added according to cooking time required.

4. Serve with youtiao and steamed rice. You may include a dipping sauce of soy, sliced chillies and minced garlic (if desired). 

* I love my Tefal Clipso Minut Duo 2-in-1 pressure cooker and stewpot for this 'cause I can serve it right in the pot!

Broth with collagen added

Collagen Bak Kut Teh completed! 

NoMSG also carries a series of premium umami-laden powders. Ikan bilis, chicken, scallop, kombu, mushroom, and whitebait (now also on sale from S$12.90 to S$29.90).

This is perfect! I had just been lamenting that I need better seasoning than those commercial cubes (yeah, you know which ones I'm talking about; I absolutely refuse to use those). I am so happy to have found this no salt, no additives, no preservatives seasoning. The powders smell so authentic and taste lovely without being overpowering. I can already imagine how they will enhance all kinds of food from stirfries, soups, noodles/pasta, marinades, stews, curries and congee. We even sprinkled some scallop powder on som tum (green papaya salad). The chicken powder will likely enhance mapo tofu or mala dishes. So many ideas and thoughts!

The products are positioned as having no MSG, but don't let Uncle Roger hear that. Haha, I'm really not opposed to MSG. I'll be adding my own MSG anyway. This is still great for people who do not want additional MSG in their diet, and useful for adding flavour to baby food. In fact, the team behind NoMSG were inspired to help mothers find a better way to add "safe" seasoning for babies.

Many thanks to NoMSG.sg for sending the products.