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Kai Tai Malacca Holland Street Traditional Herbs Ba Kut Teh
This nifty box, just larger than a passport, contains a selection of herbs commonly used in  traditional Chinese medicine - hardly surprising, as the producer is a Hong Kong company founded by a family of Chinese medicine practitioners. Those used to eating herbal soups will find this nourishing, especially on a winter's day. It's possible to have the soup on its own, without rice or other accompaniments such as Chinese-style fried dough sticks.  
 HK$25, Kai Tai, Prosperous Building, 48-52 Des Voeux Road, Central
Prima Taste Bak Kut Teh
From cooking to eating, this mix requires no more than the meat of your choice and water. The garlic is included in the packet of stock. Boiling it briefly in the stock, as instructed, imparts a richer, savoury flavour and takes away the sharpness of raw garlic. The dark soy sauce for dipping is also included. While the cooking time for the other packs tried was at least one hour, this takes less than 30 minutes. Because of this, the soup benefits less from the richness of the pork and tends to be on the light side.
HK$44.90, ParknShop International, citywide
Come In Bakuteh Herbs & Spices
While the steps printed on this packet are clear, the measurements for the ingredients are less so. For example, it calls for six 'rice bowls' of water - the volume of a rice bowl perhaps only known as one cup to older readers. For bak kut teh pros, estimates can be made, but kitchen novices may have a harder time. Otherwise, the flavours of this soup are well balanced, with a light peppery kick against a lively  canvas of dried herbs that manage to complement the juices of a  nice juicy pork rib rather than  overpower it. 
HK$12.90, Wellcome supermarkets
Tean's Gourmet Malaysian Traditional Bakuteh 
This pack, which comes in two filter bags, has an interesting mix of herbs and spices. Pepper is usually more prominent in Teochew versions of the dish, whereas Chinese angelica and goji berries tend to be found in Cantonese preparations, and cinnamon and star anise in Hokkien renditions. This approach, plus the instruction to add salt and thick soya sauce early on in the cooking process, results in a soup that is full of hard-hitting flavours, easily making it the centre of a meal. 
 HK$15.50, Indomarket, 19-31 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay
Claypot Klang Bakuteh
The instructions printed on this pack are deceptively simple - prepare garlic, dark and light soy sauce, then pour these and the packet in water and add the ribs. Most traditional recipes, however, call for the garlic and herbs to go in first, followed by the ribs, then the soy sauces, so the pork is infused with the herbs first, then cooked in broth salted by the soy sauce. Both the ingredients and instructions are similar to Tean's, but the lack of sweet, earthy spices like star anise tips the balance a little too much towards the savoury side. 
HK$22.80, Wellcome supermarkets



Bak Kut Teh