Bak kut teh is a kind of food by the Chinese Malaysians and Singaporeans. You can't find it anywhere else unless a Chinese Malaysian or Singaporean has set up a food outlet outside of Malaysia and Singapore.
Bak kut is pork rib and teh is tea, but bak kut teh is not prok ribs cooked in tea! It's cooked in Chinese herbs. It is normally taken with a pot of tea served to wash down the oily part of the ribs, therefore the name.
There are plenty of bak kut teh outlets in Kuching, but they all taste different. One of my favourite outlets is the one at Hiong Mon Low Cafe at BDC because it reminded me of a powerful engine, so there must be umph!
Bak kut is pork rib and teh is tea, but bak kut teh is not prok ribs cooked in tea! It's cooked in Chinese herbs. It is normally taken with a pot of tea served to wash down the oily part of the ribs, therefore the name.
There are plenty of bak kut teh outlets in Kuching, but they all taste different. One of my favourite outlets is the one at Hiong Mon Low Cafe at BDC because it reminded me of a powerful engine, so there must be umph!
What have all these exhaust pipes got to do with 'bak kut teh'?
Because they are used to cook 'bak kut teh' too, with even more power!
This is the man behind the powerful engine!
It takes more men to tame the engine!
After going through the engine, this is what I got on the table. I like the bak kut teh at this place because of the taste of the broth. I don't know how to describe it, but I just like the fragrance of the herb mixture. As I take only liver of all internal organs, I always ask for a bowl with ribs, lean meat, liver and the other default ingredients.
The traditional way of serving 'bak kut teh' in a clay pot.
Pork ribs is in fact one of my favourite food. No matter how it's cooked, I can swallow a dozen fingers of that, especially the middle sections. I like the feeling of separating the meat from the bone with ease, even more so if I can pull out the bone without breaking up the meat!
I'm ready to pull out the bone, with the meat intake!
The broth will spill out of the soaked fried tofu once bitten by the teeth!
Another plus point to add is that I can have as much chopped garlics and chilies to my own taste as I can do the mix myself out of the two separate containers given to me upon making the order. With the black soy sauce added, I can tug in a bowl of rice with this mixture alone, not to mention chewing the meat with it!
The heavenly sauce!
Care to have a bowl of bak kut teh for your next meal? This is one good place to have it. The place can get very crowded during lunch hour on week days, so be sure to be there early to avoid disappointment of bak kut teh being sold out.
The cafe is just diagonally across the Everrise at BDC.
Just click on the picture for direction.
