Guide to bak kut teh

Part of the conversation about bak kut teh lies in the story (or stories) of its origin. There are many – resourceful Chinese labourers pooling together money for a meal of herbs and meat once in a while; bones accidentally added to a brewing pot of herbal medicine – but the most credible and generally agreed upon tale is the story of Lee Boon Teh, the Fujian immigrant who created this dish. 

Formerly a kuih seller, Lee came up with the idea of selling the stewed pork ribs that he learnt to make back in China when there was a shortage of the glutinous flour required to make kuih during the Japanese Occupation. He opened a stall in a back alley (today, the place is still called ‘back alley bak kut teh’), and when the dish gained popularity, people began referring to the dish as bak kut teh (‘bah kut’ means ‘meat’ and ‘bone’ respectively, while ‘teh’ is the last part of Lee’s name). While Singaporeans claim that their ancestors began having pork broth and rice long before Malaysians did, the verdict is clear – Klang is the place to go for bak kut teh.

A meal of bak kut teh consists of three basic elements – the broth, the meat and the rice. The broth is the star of the show – a carefully tended mix of pig parts and up to 15 types of herbs and spices (dang gui, cinnamon, star anise, yu zhu, dang shen, goji berries, pepper and more). 

To make the broth, herbs and roasted garlic are first boiled slowly. And then in order, pork legs (as it takes longer to soften), lean meat and pork ribs are placed into the same pot and simmered for up to two hours, resulting in a meaty, fatty broth accented with herbal flavours – a broth perfect for rainy mornings. 

The way bak kut teh is consumed can be particular to each individual. Some drench their rice in broth, some follow each spoonful of rice with a nibble of meat, while most spice up their bak kut teh with plenty of chopped cili padi and crushed garlic in soy. However, it boils down to two major schools when it comes to the dish. First, bak kut teh purists (mostly based in Klang) savour the meaty broth on its own, which is served in small ceramic bowls. 

The second version is the clay pot version we recognise today. Around 30 years ago, Teluk Pulai Pottery Bak Kut Teh began dishing up bak kut teh in clay pots along with additions such as tofu puffs, bean curd skin, enoki mushrooms, button mushrooms and lettuce to sweeten the broth. According to Ng Kiat Kee (grandson of the establishment’s founder), his grandfather decided to use clay pots as they preserve heat better. This sweetened and lighter version of the dish has been hogging the limelight ever since.