Bak kut teh

Chinese
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"Bak kut teh" (Hokkien: 肉骨茶) is a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia, Singapore, China and also, cities of neighbouring countries like Batam of Indonesia and Hat Yai of Thailand. The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and, at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs in a complex broth of herbs and spices (including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, "dang gui", and garlic), boiled together with pork bones for hours [Grêlé D, Raimbault L, Chng N. Discover Singapore on Foot. Select Publishing, 2007. page 158.] . However, additional ingredients may include offal, varieties of mushroom, lettuce, and pieces of dried tofu. Light and dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking, with varying amounts depending on the variant.

"Bak kut teh" is introduced to Malaya in the 19th century by Chinese workers from Hong Kong and Canton, they ate "bak kut teh" for gaining energy.

"Bak kut teh" is usually eaten with rice or noodles, and often served with "youtiao" (strips of fried dough) for dipping into the soup. Soy sauce (usually light soy sauce, but dark soy sauce is also offered sometimes) is preferred as a condiment, with which chopped chilli padi and minced garlic is taken together. Chinese tea of various kinds (the Tieguanyin variety is especially popular in the Klang Valley area of Malaysia) is also usually served in the belief that it dilutes or dissolves the copious amount of fat consumed in this pork-laden dish. Bak kut teh is typically a famous morning meal.

Klang, widely believed to be the home of "bak kut teh", is famous for her many "bak kut teh" restaurants. Indeed, the dish is reported to have been invented in Port Klang for port coolies there in the early 20th century, to supplement their meagre diet and as a tonic to boost their health.

There are numerous variants of "bak kut teh" with its cooking style closely influenced by the prevailing Chinese enclave of a certain geographical location. In Singapore, there are three types of "bak kut teh". The most common variant is the Teochew style, which is light in color but uses more pepper in the soup. The Hoklo (Hokkien), who prefer saltier food, use more soy sauce, which results in a darker soup. The Cantonese, with a soup-drinking culture, add medicinal herbs to create a stronger flavoured soup.

A less fatty variation of "bak kut teh" made with chicken instead of pork is called "chik kut teh".Fact|date=June 2008. It also serves as a "halal" version of the dish catered to Muslims, whose religion forbids them to consume pork. During the SARS outbreak in Asia, due to the fear of SARS-virus infection of the pork meat, a lot of owners were forced to substitute pork for other meat - mainly seafood, chicken or even without any (vegetarian) - some of which still remains on the menu in some restaurant till this day.

References

External links

* [http://malaysianfoodreview.com/content/view/53/64/ Teluk Pulai Bah Kut Teh]