Description of History

Bak Kut Teh is a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia and Singapore, where there is a predominant Hoklo and Teochew community, and also in neighbouring areas like the Riau Islands and Southern Thailand. It is also popularly thought to have originated in Klang.

The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and at its simplest, consists of

different cuts of pork meat simmered in a herb based broth for hours. Most shops will

normally use pork ribs, but they are also known to include other cuts of pork into the herbal

broth as well. Despite its name, there is in fact no tea in the dish itself; the name refers to a

strong oolong Chinese tea which is usually served alongside the soup in the belief that it

dilutes or dissolves the copious amount of fat consumed in this pork-laden dish. Other

ingredients commonly found in a bowl of bak kut teh are mushrooms, fried tofu puffs, pieces

of dried tofu and iceberg lettuce. However, additional Chinese herbs may include yu zhu and

ju zhi (buckthorn fruit), which give the soup a sweeter, slightly stronger flavor. Light and

dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking, with varying amounts depending

on the variant - the Teochew’s version is lighter than the Hokkien’s. The dish can be

garnished with chopped coriander or green onions and a sprinkling of fried shallots.

Bak kut teh is usually eaten with rice or yam rice, 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

and minced garlic is taken together. The meal is not complete without one or two vegetables

dishes that are usually cooked with oyster sauce and dried onions.

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. First,the most common variant is the Teochew style, which is light

in colour but uses more pepper and garlic in the soup. Second, the Hoklo (Hokkien), who

prefer saltier food, use more soy sauce resulting in a darker soup .Third, the Cantonese, with

a soup-drinking culture, add medicinal herbs to create a stronger flavoured soup. In Malaysia,

a dry form of bak kut teh has also recently become increasingly popular within Malaysia,

especially in Klang town. Although called dry, the broth is in fact reduced to a thicker gravy,

to which other ingredients such as wolfberries, dried dates, dried chillies and dried squid are

added. Unlike the original rib soup, the dry version has a tangier, sharper taste and is more

akin to a herbal stew than the classical broth. It is often recommended locally in Malaysia as

an excellent hangover cure.

A less fatty variation of bak kut teh made with chicken instead of pork is called chik

kut teh. It also serves as a halal version of the dish catered to Muslims, whose religion forbids

them to consume pork.

Description of Business

Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh

Back in the 70s, Oan Ah Lek started a modest bak kut teh business in Teluk Pulai,

Klang, a Chinese soup popularly served in Malaysia nowadays. The business flourished since

then and the next decade witnessed an increasing of venture into bak kut teh business in

Klang and Port Klang, and some say in certain areas in Malaysia. Thus, there is about more

or less 600 stalls/shops of bak kut teh in Klang & Port Klang itself. Competition is intense in

this business however Ah Lek is able to strive to be one of the best bak kut teh in town. In

fact, the business was even featured in a few popular food books and magazines.

Today, the business has expanded and the second branch is located in Sentosa Klang,

handle by his elder daughter and her husband, while the main branch by his son, Oan Chee

Kian. Surprisingly, this 30 years old plus shop was not as crowded nor as pretentious as the

others. No waiting for tables, no rushing to sip your cup of tea and certainly no problem with

parking because this row of shop facing Jalan Teluk Pulai, is located right in front of a

residential area.

Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh serves the usual bak kut teh in clay pots, or in bowls, according

to your preference. The huge yet tender chunks of meat were greatly appreciated and the soup

was tasty with a signature Klang Lek Bak Kut Teh taste.This bak kut the shop is also famous

with their bak kut the served with freshly cut pig innards.

Seng Huat Bak Kut The

Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh or well known as "under the bridge bak kut teh", because of

its close proximity to the said bridge,is one of the popular restaurant in Klang serving bak kut

teh since 1979.The business has expanded and the second branch is located at Kepong Utara

while the main branch is handled by John Lee, the third generation.

Bak kut teh consists of pork ribs simmered in a broth of soy sauce, chinese herbs and

spices such as cinnamon, ginseng, star anise, wolfberries, chinese foxglove and dried orange

peel for hours. Bak kut teh normally served with rice and side dishes such as "yau char kwai"

(golden-brown deep fried dough), vegetables, tofu and fried tofu puffs.This restaurant served

either individual bowl of bak kut teh with your preferred cut of meat or the clay pot style

which consists of meat, tofu, vegetables, bean curd and mushrooms.

At Seng Huat, the concept is slightly different. Entering the corner shop lot right

beside the pedestrian-cum-vehicles bridge, you won’t fail to notice 1) the crowd, 2) the guy

(or lady) chopping up a storm, picking on pieces after pieces of meat, and serving them

rapidly in bowls for consumption. Without the bells and whistles of golden mushrooms, balls,

innards and such.