Bak kut teh or literally pork bone tea is a soup dish common in Singapore and the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia, but can also be found in Batam and Bintan in the Riaus of Indonesia.
Enjoying bak kut teh is a way of life for the Chinese of Singapore and Malaysia. Today, a bak kut teh meal is often on the itinerary of tourists. The peppery garlicky dish is delicious and offers a glimpse into the history and lives of people in old Singapore.
Bak kut teh has very humble roots. It was originally concocted for coolies to soothe their pains and ailments from hard labour at Singapore River moving heavy sacks from twakow boats to godowns or onto lorries.
It's originally a cheap herbal tonic with meatless bones, traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, spices and soy sauce.
The herbs were chosen for their benefits for the coolies' stamina, strength, immune system and recovery from injuries. They also counteract the effects of opium addiction - a scourge in colonial Singapore.
Before they set off for work and after a hard day at the docks, men gathered for bak kut teh by the Singapore River, our river of life.
The bak kut teh "shops" that sprouted up around old Boat Quay and Clarke Quay were makeshift affairs. A rusty lean-to zinc sheet, a flapping canvas, large pots over charcoal, neither running water nor electricity (hence, the kerosene hurricane lamp).
The stall and the bak kut teh party were at the mercy of the elements.
Times change. As Singapore prospered, the herbal coolies' tonic evolved to become today's peppery garlicky Singapore bak kut teh with prime cuts of meat and ribs.
The towkays (bosses) acquired a taste for the humble dish and Teochew stall holders responded with premium Sarawak pepper, quality old garlic cloves, and meaty loin ribs.
Good bak kut teh was not only a matter of good ingredients but also mastery of fire or huo ho 火候 in Mandarin. It's a play of fierce lashing flames of 武火 "martial fire" and gentle simmering 文火 "civil fire".
Today, Teochew peppery garlicky bak kut teh is synonymous with Singapore bak kut teh while herbal bak kut teh (by Hokkien hawkers) is near extinction (less than ten such stalls are left).
Eating bak kut teh was a social event but it was mostly men who enjoyed this privilege. It's a time to exchange news and share opportunities.
The soup was served piping hot, so chopsticks were the best way to pick up the morsel of meat or rib.
But, once out of the scathing soup, hands are the best way to enjoy the ribs.
The most comfortable posture was bare feet up on the bench or stool.
Another posture to enjoy bak kut teh like a pro.
Bak kut teh was eaten with small mountains of boiled rice, the main fuel for coolies.
Since the beginning, there was no bak kut teh without tea and no tea in bak kut teh 🤔 Read that again 😬
The two are always intimately intertwined. In Chinese traditional medicine, pork bone soup is "heaty or yang", so "cooling or ying" tea provides the ying yang balance to the meal.
That's why there is no tea in bak kut teh. Teh (tea) refers to the accompanying tea.
In fact, tea is so intertwined with bak kut teh that by the 1950s in Singapore, teas were specially blended for pairing with bak kut teh. The most popular is a tea known as Unknown Fragrance by Pek Sin Choon Tea Merchants which was supplying tea to bak kut teh hawkers in Singapore since 1925.
This lady I feel is slightly overdressed 😬 Eating bak kut teh, especially by the old Singapore River, I don't think it was like a dinner party with a host in Cheongsam and coiffured hair 😝
When I asked people why they love something, I often get the answer "It's a habit".
So yeah, bak kut teh, its taste, flavours, aromas, associated people, places, atmosphere, stories, the whole experience, the culture is an idyllic "comfort zone" we like to indulge in or take refuge in from the sometimes madness around us.
I am glad bak kut teh culture and its stories remained with us even if it has been gentrified and transformed. But, I feel we need to do more to preserve the old herbal bak kut teh before they are all gone, swept away by time.
This beautiful mural is by renowned Singapore mural artist Yip Yew Chong. You can see it at block 127, Kim Tuan Road outside Tuan Yuan Bak Kut Teh restaurant.
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