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Home / Cuisine / Chinese / Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce)

Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce)

Chinese, Egg & Tofu, Main Dish, Pork

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Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce) is a well loved, very flavorful Hokkien (Fujianese) comfort food dish. Usually comes with hard boiled eggs.

Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce) with hard boiled eggs.

You will likely have had your fair share of Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce) if you are Malaysian Chinese of the Hokkien (Fujianese) dialect. I know Paul and I did and we still love it to this day. It is our kind of comfort food – home cooked, simple, and so very tasty.

Variations in Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce)

The combination of sweet soy sauce and braised pork is like a marriage made in heaven. It just is! The addition of a generous amount of garlic and peppercorns make it even more so. Like mom, I put in an entire bulb of unpeeled garlic. Why unpeeled? It is to prevent them from melting into the sauce because all that braising makes them really, really soft. The peel will keep them intact so that the soft and mellowed garlic cloves can be enjoyed together with the tender pork and eggs. Ahh…it is so good!

Like all dishes, variations are bound to exist because cooking is a very individual thing. Some prefer their Kong Tau Yew Bak light and soupy like the Teochew version which usually comes with chunks of tofu. Others, add all kinds of spices like cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, and the likes. Those spices give it an almost herbal flavor.

I grew up with a slightly sweet and syrupy Kong Tau Yew Bak with just garlic and crushed peppercorns. I still much prefer it this way. More spices does not mean better flavor. This simple version eaten with a side of Sambal Belacan is out of this world delicious. Seriously, it is ah-ma-zing! You have to give it a try.

Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce) in a clay pot.

Different Kinds of Soy Sauce

Now, a word about soy sauce. They come in various forms and many different brands. Light soy sauce as the name suggest, is lighter and thinner. It is used as a dip as well as a seasoning. Generally, the better the quality, the more flavorful and less salty. Cheap soy sauce is usually very light and very salty. Dark soy sauce is richer and less salty. Sugar or molasses is a common additive. The more sugar or molasses, the thicker the consistency.

Kong Tau Yew Bak with sweet soy sauce.

We love our soy sauce and I have several different types and brands in my pantry at all times. For this recipe, I used a sweet soy sauce of medium viscosity. It is not too sweet and not too thick. I only needed to add 2 teaspoon of sugar to the dish. Depending on the brand and type of dark soy sauce used, please adjust the amount of sugar to your liking. This particular brand of sweet soy sauce is a little lighter in color. If you prefer a darker color, please add another 1 or 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce and omit the salt. You can’t have too much soy sauce in this dish, except when it gets too salty of course!

Sweet, delicious Kong Tau Yew Bak.


Similar Products Used in Making This Kong Tau Yew Bak

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.

Dual-Handled Unglazed Cooking Pot with Lid (Glazed interior)
Sweet Soy Sauce (White Label), 14 Ounces (Pack of 1)
Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Cup and Spoon Set

Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce) in a clay pot.

Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Dark Soy Sauce)

Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce) is a well loved, very flavorful Hokkien (Fujianese) comfort food dish. Usually comes with hard boiled eggs.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: braised pork, braised pork in soy sauce, kong tau yew bak, tau yew bak
Servings: 6
Calories: 421kcal
Author: Linda Ooi

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 bulb garlic (separated but not peeled)
  • 1 tsp peppercorns (cracked or smashed)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1½ lbs boneless pork ribs or pork shoulder, cut into bite size pieces (675g)
  • 3 tbsp sweet soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ¾ cup water (180ml)
  • ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 4 hard boiled eggs (peeled)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Heat vegetable oil in a medium sized pot. Saute garlic cloves, cracked peppercorns, and minced garlic for 1 minute.
  • Add pork and fry to seal in the juices. This should take about 3 minutes.
    Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce)-12
  • Add sweet soy sauce, sugar, and water.
    Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce)-13
  • Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
    Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce)-14
  • Add salt and hard boiled eggs. Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes.
    Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce)-15
  • Turn eggs occasional to coat evenly with soy sauce. Turn off stove.
  • Serve warm with steamed rice.

VIDEO

NUTRITION

Calories: 421kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @MalaysianChineseKitchen or tag #MalaysianChineseKitchen!

Serving Suggestions

I like to remove and serve the hard boiled eggs separately on a different plate. Cut them in half lengthwise so that each person can drizzle some of that rich sauce onto the yolks. I also highly recommend that you check out my Sambal Belacan recipe because Kong Tau Yew Bak is really, really delicious with this spicy and slightly tangy condiment.

For a complete home style meal, also check out my Stir Fry Gai Lan and/or Leng Ngau Tong (Lotus Root Soup). Lastly, do not forget to cook a big pot of steamed rice to go with this beloved Hokkien Kong Tau Yew Bak. You can thank me later for the reminder. 😉

Kong Tau Yew Bak with Congee

Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce) actually tastes even better the next day. So, go ahead and cook a double portion. It is also amazing served with plain congee or this Sweet Potato Congee, instead of rice. If you choose to go this route, please do check out the Sweet Potato Congee post. In there, you can get ideas on what other dishes may be served together for a delicious and comforting congee lunch or dinner.

Kong Tau Yew Bak (Braised Pork in Soy Sauce) ready to be served.

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September 2, 2016 · 11 Comments

About Linda

Linda is a food writer and photographer who hails from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She now lives in Colorado, USA. Her other blogs are Roti n Rice and Tea Tattler.

Malaysian Chinese Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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Comments

  1. Kathleen Shriver says

    October 20, 2016 at 5:25 pm

    What exactly did you use to cook this in? Looks like it can go from stove top to oven, if needed.

    Thanks for your time,

    Kathleen

    Reply
    • Linda says

      November 18, 2016 at 3:07 am

      I have had this clay pot for many years. It is one those inexpensive clay pots made in China. Very durable but I think it is only for stove top use. I have never placed it in the oven.

      Reply
  2. Chen says

    April 4, 2017 at 7:56 am

    Hi is sweet sauce the same as sweet soya sauce

    Reply
    • Linda says

      April 11, 2017 at 11:20 am

      No, I don;t think it is the same. Sweet sauce is usually used as a dip.

      Reply
  3. Shirley, Ellen says

    March 28, 2019 at 4:49 pm

    5 stars
    I just cooked your recipe and it was delicious! I like the format of the recipe too, it is very easy to follow! Many thanks for making it available!

    Reply
  4. Cathy Ng says

    April 7, 2020 at 10:38 am

    Can I replace with dried bean curd instead of using egg?

    Reply
    • Linda says

      April 16, 2020 at 10:53 am

      Yes, you can. I do that sometimes.

      Reply
  5. Bravo Chia Pak Yun says

    April 16, 2020 at 2:02 am

    5 stars
    Today I just cooked Kong Tau Yew Bak for my whole family. My wife & two sons like it very much. I used pork shoulder loin meat to cook. The Kong Tau Yee Bak is very tasty & delicious. They have finished up the the whole bowl of Kong Tau Yew Bak!
    Thank you Linda for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Linda says

      April 16, 2020 at 10:51 am

      You are welcome! Glad to hear you all enjoyed the recipe. 🙂

      Reply
  6. THOMAS CHERUKARA says

    December 18, 2020 at 2:24 am

    5 stars
    Very tasty and easy to make

    Reply
    • Linda says

      December 29, 2020 at 7:58 pm

      Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe.

      Reply

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