Bak kut teh

Bak kut teh is a soup popularly served in Malaysia, Singapore, China and also, cities of neighbouring countries like Batam of Indonesia and Hat Yai of Thailand. The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and, at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs in a complex broth of herbs and spices , boiled together with pork bones for hours. However, additional ingredients may include offal, varieties of mushroom, lettuce, and pieces of dried tofu. Light and dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking, with varying amounts depending on the variant.

''Bak kut teh'' is usually eaten with rice or noodles, and often served with ''youtiao'' for dipping into the soup. Soy sauce is preferred as a condiment, with which chopped chilli padi and minced garlic is taken together. Chinese tea of various kinds is also usually served in the belief that it dilutes or dissolves the copious amount of fat consumed in this pork-laden dish. Bak kut teh is typically a famous morning meal.

Klang, widely believed to be the home of ''bak kut teh'', is famous for her many ''bak kut teh'' restaurants. Indeed, the dish is reported to have been invented in Port Klang for port coolies there in the early 20th century, to supplement their meagre diet and as a tonic to boost their health.

There are numerous variants of ''bak kut teh'' with its cooking style closely influenced by the prevailing Chinese enclave of a certain geographical location. In Singapore, there are three types of ''bak kut teh''. The most common variant is the Teochew style, which is light in color but uses more pepper in the soup. The , who prefer saltier food, use more soy sauce, which results in a darker soup. The , with a soup-drinking culture, add medicinal herbs to create a stronger flavoured soup.

A less fatty variation of ''bak kut teh'' made with chicken instead of pork is called ''chik kut teh''.. It also serves as a ''halal'' version of the dish catered to , whose religion . During the SARS outbreak in Asia, due to the fear of SARS-virus infection of the pork meat, a lot of owners were forced to substitute pork for other meat - mainly seafood, chicken or even without any - some of which still remains on the menu in some restaurant till this day.