Got up at the crack of dawn and went to Klang this morning to continue our bak kut teh exploration. Kedai Makanan Teck Teh was our second BKT stop this morning. I like Teck Teh's shop a lot because it is so rustic and quaint. The whole experience feels so hyperlocal authentic, from the BKT, rickety old shop, the regular customers, the sound of Hokkien banter and even the nonchalant style of the boss 😃
The over 50 year old signboard still hangs at Teck Teh's shop. Mr Lee Boon Teh 李文地 came to Klang from Fujian China in the 1940s (after the Second World War) and started selling bak kut teh. Mr Lee's bak kut teh was meant as a fortifying herbal tonic, hence Klang BKT always has that signature herbal taste.
Mr Lee Boon Teh has seven sons and his great grandchildren now run over a dozen different bak kut teh businesses in Klang, KL and beyond.
Teck Teh 德地 run by Mr Lee Boon Teh's great grandson assisted by Teh's great great grandsons is one of them.
Seng Huat - the famous BKT shop under the flyover just around the corner 100 metres away is another - run by another third generation Lee, transiting to the fourth generation.
We can enjoy Teck Teh's bak kut teh inside the 50 year old coffee shop with vintage mosaic tile floor, tacky yellowing white wall tiles, folding iron panels etc which oozes 1960s British Malaya nostalgia. Teck Teh is founded by Mr Lee Boon Teh in the 1940s and he moved to this premise in the 1950s - this is thus the oldest BKT shop in Klang now.
It is claimed that bak kut teh was named after Lee Boon Teh, the founder of Teck Teh. The "teh" in bak kut teh is allegedly the "teh" in Lee Boon Teh.
Lee Boon Teh arrived in Klang after the Second World War which ended in 1945.
According to this article published in Nanyang Siang Pau in 1934, a bak kut teh meal in Singapore costs $1.80 in 1925. This provides evidence that bak kut teh existed in Singapore in 1925, at least 20 years before Lee Boon Teh arrived in Klang.
Alternatively, we can enjoy Teck Teh's bak kut teh at the side lane beside the bare red bricks of the corner shop. This is where it gets really interesting.
There is a row of little stalls here serving various old school breakfast. There's a stall selling coffee, soft boiled eggs, toast and nasi lemak. An Indian stall serving thosai, roti canai and teh tarik. There is also a Hainanese curry rice stall.
Customers may eat their Teck Teh bak kut teh at these stalls and so can enjoy a coffee or toast with their BKT. This old side lane is quite cool in the morning and I am not just referring to the temperature.
To order, just tell friendly but reserved Mr Lee at the cooking station, the type of cut that you want - there's ribs, belly, shank, trotter, elbow, intestines etc. Go back to your table and your food will be served to you.
We had a shoulder blade and elbow for RM31 (2016 price). Teck Teh doesn't provide chili, garlic or even soy sauce since Lee Boon Teh's time - but I didn't miss them 😀 Oh... there's also no preserved vegetable, no you char kway, no nothing except bak kut teh, white rice and tea (sold separately). So bak kut teh always have tea, even at Lee Boon Teh's shop.
Teck Teh's BKT brownish broth has a collagen (or starch) thickened medium body like a light syrup. It tastes savoury with some sweetness and slight herbal & spice taste. Only half bowl and no refills 😂
If you like lean meat then this shoulder blade is for you. The meat was quite firm though still moist. Porcine sweetness was mild as was the savoury herbal taste from the broth.
I love the elbow as it has plenty of skin and fat with only a bit of lean meat 😱 The fat and skin is spongy and soft. Its porky sweetness complements and balances the savoury sweet herbalness of the soupy sauce. Love this elbow 脚弯, my favourite BKT cut 😋
👉 There are lots of variations of the basic bak kut teh served at different BKT shops even just in Klang. All have their own loyal following based on individual taste buds. At Teck Teh, I like the savoury sweet herbal soupy sauce, but I am even more in love with the special ambiance here. This laid back little shop tucked in an old back street in Klang seemed to have not changed much for half a century. I like places that connect me with my childhood in the 1960s.
Kedai Makanan Teck Teh's time worn signboard is not visible from the street. But, that doesn't really matter as most of Teck Teh's customers are locals and regulars. If you are new here, your GPS will take you right to the doorstep.
There are many other marvellous bak kut teh you need to try in Klang 👈 click
Restaurant name: Kedai Makanan Teck Teh 德地肉骨茶
Address: Jalan Stesen 1, Klang, Selangor, Malaysia
GPS: 3°02'33.6"N 101°26'53.9"E | 3.042660, 101.448297
Waze: Teck Teh Bakuteh
Hours: 6:30am to 2:00pm
Non Halal
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GPS: 3°02'33.6"N 101°26'53.9"E | 3.042660, 101.448297
Waze: Teck Teh Bakuteh
Hours: 6:30am to 2:00pm
Non Halal
Yes, Klang's BKT is considered to be the best in Malaysia. If you are in Klang, there are BKT restaurants on almost every street. It is a matter of taste and also recommendations from the locals will identify the best restaurant to patronize.
ReplyDeleteSo in your findings BKT. Which country got it documented FIRST ?
ReplyDeleteBryan Anthony 1925 is the earliest mention on record for Singapore. I feel Klang should have something of the same vintage or even older. We need to dig it out
DeleteTony Boey but the earliest mention. Did the tea shop selling invoice it to a shop name. That’s sells BKT. Or the invoice itself even mentioned the word BKT.
DeleteI’m not bothered which country is from actually. But more curious who really got it documented or which started. Love what you have done so far tony. It’s amazing!
Bryan Anthony it is in the Nanyang Siang Pau article inside the blog post. I hope we can find documents relating to Klang
DeleteBut you put time and effort to find and document it.. it's important.
DeleteFor me, in my culinary journey. I find that documenting things, it's a very important part of culinary work as well.
For example, in the kitchen as a chef. Asian cooking tend to cook with taste and feel... and a lot of "agak-agak"... which is what makes it nice. and down to basic of a human touch.
But the western folks like the French, are able to document to precise, even have names or thermology for certain ways of cooking... And putting measurements into grammes.
The Europeans and western food may not be the most exotic and most complex cooking compared to Asian cooking. But they got it well document.
but of course, Asian also had many wars of colonization and by the Japanese also, so many got lost in time... It's sad sometimes... but good in a way, that because of all this different blend of culture and diversity, our cuisine become a melting pot of the best of everything and became what it is today.
Unlike the uncolonized and boring countries 🏴 🤣