BAK KUT TEH
Bak Kut Teh (Chinese: 肉骨茶) also known as Bah-Kut-Tê , literally is Hokkien for "meat bone tea" and is a pork rib soup . Generally, it is cooked in a clay pot with pork ribs, varieties of mushrooms, lettuce, and taufu pok (deep fried beancurd puffs). The soup is a broth which consists of several herbs and spices like star anise, cinnamon, cloves, garlic and the most important spice, white peppercorns. The broth is boiled together with pork ribs for many hours. Light and dark soy sauce can also be added to the soup during cooking . The end product should have juicy and tender meat with a flavourful and slightly spicy soup. Garnishings include chopped coriander or green onions and a sprinkling of fried shallots .
It is eaten with rice in Singapore, and often served with strips of deep-fried dough called Yu Char Kway (油炸鬼 in Hokkien) or You Tiao (油条 in Mandarin) or a type of preserved vegetable known in Singapore as kiam cha . Dark soy sauce is used as a condiment, sometimes accompanied with chopped chilli to give that added taste to the pork ribs. So where does the tea come in, you might ask? Traditionally, the Chinese drink tea (usually Oolong) while eating Bak Kut Teh as they believe that the tea would help wash the fat and oil better and aid in the digestion of the fats that come together with the consumption of the pork ribs. However, these days, you usually have to ask specifically for the tea which will be served in a small teapot with which you fill tiny cups. The you tiao and the tau pok being absorbent should be dipped into the thick broth ,it will enable you to taste the broth without being diluted by rice.
In Singapore, there are three types of Bak Ku Teh. The Hokkien, who prefer saltier food, use more soy sauce which results in a darker soup. The Cantonese ,who has a deep soup-drinking culture, add medicinal herbs to create a stronger flavoured soup. The most common being the Teochew style, which uses more white pepper in the soup.
Bak Kut Teh dates back to the 19th century and have been introduced in Singapore by the Chinese workers from the Canton and Fujian provinces .
It consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a unique broth of herbs and spices; the use of cloves, cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds and coriander in this dish reflects Singapore’s diverse cultural influences. The dish evolved as such in order to supplement the meagre, often innutritious diet of the coolies of yesteryear. Yet, the dark-coloured soup rich in herbs and spices is just one of the versions of bak kut teh. If you prefer a less herbal-tasting soup that’s just as satisfying, you’ll surely enjoy the other style of cooking, which serves up a soup that is clear and peppery. The different varieties of this popular dish is a reflection of how descendants of immigrants from different parts of China have adapted bak kut teh to suit their palate.
A bowl of bak kut teh tends to come with pork ribs, preserved vegetables and braised beancurd skins, all of which make this a wholesome, healthy and inexpensive option at any time of the day.
So popular is the Bak Kut Teh concoction in Singapore that it’s now a flavour in instant noodles and there’s even a DIY-ready to eat kit, consisting of a soup base .
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs
It is eaten with rice in Singapore, and often served with strips of deep-fried dough called Yu Char Kway (油炸鬼 in Hokkien) or You Tiao (油条 in Mandarin) or a type of preserved vegetable known in Singapore as kiam cha . Dark soy sauce is used as a condiment, sometimes accompanied with chopped chilli to give that added taste to the pork ribs. So where does the tea come in, you might ask? Traditionally, the Chinese drink tea (usually Oolong) while eating Bak Kut Teh as they believe that the tea would help wash the fat and oil better and aid in the digestion of the fats that come together with the consumption of the pork ribs. However, these days, you usually have to ask specifically for the tea which will be served in a small teapot with which you fill tiny cups. The you tiao and the tau pok being absorbent should be dipped into the thick broth ,it will enable you to taste the broth without being diluted by rice.
In Singapore, there are three types of Bak Ku Teh. The Hokkien, who prefer saltier food, use more soy sauce which results in a darker soup. The Cantonese ,who has a deep soup-drinking culture, add medicinal herbs to create a stronger flavoured soup. The most common being the Teochew style, which uses more white pepper in the soup.
Bak Kut Teh dates back to the 19th century and have been introduced in Singapore by the Chinese workers from the Canton and Fujian provinces .
It consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a unique broth of herbs and spices; the use of cloves, cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds and coriander in this dish reflects Singapore’s diverse cultural influences. The dish evolved as such in order to supplement the meagre, often innutritious diet of the coolies of yesteryear. Yet, the dark-coloured soup rich in herbs and spices is just one of the versions of bak kut teh. If you prefer a less herbal-tasting soup that’s just as satisfying, you’ll surely enjoy the other style of cooking, which serves up a soup that is clear and peppery. The different varieties of this popular dish is a reflection of how descendants of immigrants from different parts of China have adapted bak kut teh to suit their palate.
A bowl of bak kut teh tends to come with pork ribs, preserved vegetables and braised beancurd skins, all of which make this a wholesome, healthy and inexpensive option at any time of the day.
So popular is the Bak Kut Teh concoction in Singapore that it’s now a flavour in instant noodles and there’s even a DIY-ready to eat kit, consisting of a soup base .
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs