Do you know that bak kut teh originates from Malaysia? Have you ever wondered how it come by? According to local people, it started as the manual workers that works in seaports of Klang long time ago was looking for a way to curb the stench of cooking the pork raw. They needs something filling for their job nature as well and the bak kut teh served with rice is just the answer for a hungry man's call. So they found the way by adding certain chinese herbs to the stew will bring out the aroma and curb the smell. Now it had evolved from worker's meal to all time favourite of Malaysian.
Nowadays you can easily find bak kut teh everywhere in Malaysia, but with their own variations. Usually, it is served in claypots to preserve the heat. Almost all part of the pork whichever is edible will be thrown into the stew. The soup is between clear to dark colour depends on the chef. Usually, there will be garnish such as lettuce, and you char kuay. There will be strong smell of herbs usually. It will go along very well with chinese tea. Usually, in bak kut teh shops, you will see pots of water boiling beside the main table. This is for the customer to refill the tea themselves.
Yesterday I had a chance to taste the well known bak kut teh in Klang itself. It was one of the well known shop near the port Klang. We called for both soupy and dry bak kut teh. The dry type according to the owner, is a new taste. For the soupy one, the taste was just okay, too mild to my liking. And the selection of the meat was mostly the fat one. As for the dry bak kut teh, after the meat was boiled, it was fried with dark soy sauce and chilis. So it tasted a little bit seet and hot. Anyway, not bad overall. The price was fair, about RM 12 per person.
If you happen to have a chance to enjoy this dish, please do so. It will surely leave a lasting impression of a special taste in Malaysia.
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