Bak kut teh literally means meat bone tea but in actual fact, it is herbal pork/pork bones soup. I think the tea in the name actually comes from the Chinese tea that I often see people drinking when eating bak kut teh, probably to neutralise all that fat in the meat.
It was sometime in the mid-90s when my family went to Penang on a package tour that they took us to this place where they sold tambun biscuits and other Penang delicacies and there was a section where they were letting people sample their bak kut teh. If I’m not mistaken, that was the first time my daughter tasted that and she liked it a lot, so we bought a packet or two of the mixed herbal spices home. I cannot remember the name of the place nor where it was located anymore (probably somewhere in Pulau Tikus) and neither could I remember the brand of the spices.
So I can’t say for sure whether it was CKC that we went to in Penang then…
…but somebody mentioned not too long ago that this is her favourite brand when it comes to homecooked bak kut teh.
Well, CKC stands for Cheong Kim Chuan…
…and the address given is on “the steps leading to Kek Lok Si”, so I guess it must be in the vicinity of that temple in Ayer Itam. Gosh! They even have their own website, it seems!
My missus bought a box of the spices when she was in KL not too long ago…and last Satuday, she finally got down to cooking it…
It was nice, a bit sweet probably due to the presence of dried red dates and wolfberries in it…but a bit light, I think, on the herbal taste…
…and yes! Hold your horses! Those are indeed thick slabs of fat that you see! And that was cooked by the same person who would strip a poor chicken completely of all its skin, declaring that it is absolutely unhealthy and must never ever be consumed. Tsk! Tsk! She insists that the meat from the more fatty areas are nicer to eat – not so “siap“…and in her opinion, tastier. Hmmmm…I really wonder if that same description applies to me too? Hehehehehehe!!!!
Comments on: "Bones…" (29)
Hehe, it is true though about meat from more fatty areas being more tender .. your last sentence is hilarious ! And the bak kut teh looks really not bad. Comfort food, oh comfort food …
Hahahahaha!!! Fatter is nicer, eh? ROTFL!!! Yes, it was nice, the bak kut teh – but different from the A1 brand that I usually use. That one more herbal – more like Chinese medicine.
Reduce the salt content then you are also not kiam siap!!!! Haiz… now I’m thinking of Grandma bak kut tea!
Took me a while to figure out what you’re talking about. Ya…these days, memany cut down or no salt, not kaim…puls not siap = not kiam siap! LOL!!! Grandma who? You mean your mum’s?
argh!! make me craving for BKT only!! T.T
Hehehehehehe…having it for lunch?
I just had BKT for lunch yesterday. Being such a hot day, I was sweating into my soup…..probably why it tasted saltier than usual….hahaha!
Wah! So you’re so very kiam… The meat siap or not? Hahahahaha!!! Not me, Gundot started this!
good~ you give me a good reason to eat BKT today.~
I do?…Bon appetit! LOL!!!
I tried A1 BKT recently, found it good. So far i havent seen this CKC brand before..probaly soon will be available in all the hypermarket, or actually they have just i didnt notice…hehhehe
I’ve always used A1 and I like it – so I never bothered trying the others. But my missus bought this from KL the other day and somebody mentioned once that it was the best. Not bad also…not bad at all.
Gosh!!! Just look at the lard!! hahhaa.. BKT.. not so favorite, maybe bec of the strong herbal smell.. whenever i go for BKT, i prefer to order the vinegar pork and the pig stomach stewed with pork ribs..
Then you will like this brand – not strong on that “Chinese medicine smell”…and sweet. Vinegar pork…not popular here – Cantonese-style too kha – I quite like it though…
Bak Kut Teh is my favourite dish.
It is…??? Hehehehehehe!!!
bkt my favourite but not packing as too diluted…
Tell that to the chef…my missus! Hehehehehe!!!
When it comes to meat… the fatter the nicer… the yummier… LOL… eh… you mean there’s no tea ingredients in BKT? =.= Alamak… so jakun… I din know there’s no tea ingredients in BKT.
I wouldn’t know if there’s any tea inside… I don’t think so – never seen any tea leaves in the pouches. I guess you’re not a fan of bkt either – all those Chinese herbs…
No… not a fan… the taste and the smell is too strong for me… smell oredi feel pening. LOL…Initially I thought BKT contains tea leaves inside… you know… the name suggested that there’s tea ingredients inside. LOL.
Hahahahaha!!! You’re not into all the Chinese herbal stuff… You don’t know what you’re missing!
Nvm…they taste weird to me… miss them oso nvm. LOL…give me goreng goreng things… den I happy liao. Satisfied,.. hahahhaha…
Fried…not so healthy – better steam or stew.
Aiyak you ignited my cravings for BKT already! LOL! I saw this shop before when I went to Kek Lok Si last year! it was really along the stairway!
It was? I went to Kek Lok Si many years ago…but I just stayed at the bottom – didn’t bother to go up. Last year, I went to Ayer Itam – to the Penang assam laksa place…but I did not eat. Put off by the surroundings…and the thing did not look very appealing.
BKT!! All of us love BKT, including my two boys! Usually we use A1 “kau”, it taste nicer, more “kau kau” lo. Yummy!!
Ya…me too! I find that it has a stronger herbal (Chinese medicine) fragrance which I like… Even its instant noodles!
I love Bak kut teh with Yu char koay and yam rice.
I always use the bee Cheng hiang brand I bought from Penang.
I bought Bee Cheng Hiang once… I think it was from Mid Valley – didn’t strike me as anything special. Thought A1 better. Ya, they always serve with yew char kwai… Missus likes cooking it with bean curd sticks – tauhu kee… I like bean curd sticks in any way but Melissa doesn’t. Says they’re like plastic… LOL!!!
Add 2 pcs of tong kwai for extra herbal aroma….mmmm, nice!
Ya…that should do the trick. Hey! You like dong quai eh? Makes you strong like a lion? Wait a minute – it’s supposed to be for women, right? Wink! Wink! Hehehehehe!!!!
awww.. stp is definitely more yummylicious
muahahahhaa..
btw.. regarding ur comment in my post, memang we ladies like dat one. wat is worse is when we finally change to a new blinds or anything else, we will complain that the previous actually suits us better
haha..
n another post.. regarding the guy in the red tee.. he is my dad.. (not a penang dude
)
cheers
Women – can’t live with them, can’t live without them! Hehehehehe!!! The guy in red… Can’t remember now – will have to hop over to ur blog and take a peek.
P.S. Ah! I remember now! From Pahang, looks like my friend in Pahang – an English teacher, Bentong…or where – can’t remember now.
lol… n i tot u said penang..
Nope…Pahang. I think his name is Soo Kian Chong, went with me to the U.K. in 1994…
I don’t remember eating ‘Bak Kut Teh’ with Wolfberries and Red Dates. Did you add in garlic with its skin attached? It adds on to the Omph. ‘Bak Kut Teh’ taste delicious when eaten with chopped raw garlic and ‘Yao Char Koay’. As a Penangite, I have to admit that the best ‘Bak Kut Teh’ is found in Klang and not Penang. I now live in Shah Alam and should we meet one day, I’d be most glad to bring you to try the best ever ‘Bak Kut Teh’ around.
I’ve never seen that either…but usually everything’s hidden in a pouch. This one isn’t…so the red dates and wolfberries and all the other stuff are all exposed. Yup…I think my missus put in at least two bulbs of garlic – which is now RM10 a kg… They say there’s no garlic coming from China anymore with the floods, droughts and whatever natural disaster – you name it, they have it! So you’re in Shah Alam now… Will get in touch should I be going that way anytime…
this one i really like to eat!
the last 2 photos reeally make me feel hungry.
Go…go…! Lots of bak kut teh where youa re! LOL!!! Yum! Yum!
yum3 bak kut teh :3
i want some. you should really try to open shop selling food. haha
A bit too old for that – I’m near 60. If only I had gone into this line when I was young – probably a millionaire already today.
Fats~ are always nice XD
I know… I’m fat! Hahahahaha!!!!
Where is the origin of BKT Katlumpor specifically Klang or Pinang? Got a little confused here Pinang lang says KL BKT better and orang KLang says Pinang better??? Whoa your BKT looks delicious, think shall have BKT for dinner tonight..hehe
Dunno where it originated from. I had BKT at Bukit Bintang KL – one roadside stall at the lane beside the present Agora Hotel, no longer there…but it was very nice…and I think I had it again once or twice somewhere in KL. Never been to Klang and didn’t have it in Penang either. Had it at a couple of places here in Sibu (very few here) and other than that, we cooked our own…
Oh yes, the fattier the pork is, the tastier! Doesn’t apply to a certain pork *ehem ehem* if you know what i mean. Wahaha! (syok sendiri me)
No, I don’t. What pork would that be? “Too kor” meaning very gatal fella? You kah? LOL!!!
BKT is my favorite but I seldom get to eat them.
Indeed, the fatter the nicer…don’t get me wrong, I am talking about pork! When I was small, I used to buy 100% fat meat for cooking and consumption. Delicious ler!
Not necessarily leh… I’m fat and also very nice what? Muahahahahahaha!!! These days, I try to stick to the lean – only once in a while, I may just give in to temptation. LOL!!!
Oooh…my favourite soup. My hubby must eat this with yu char kway. But in a small place like Aberdeen, he just has to wait, maybe another 10 years…haha. He has no choice but to be happy enough even to have this soup here. I’m totally amused at your last paragraph..LOL. Well, just don’t try to understand your Mrs. Just know that she’s always right and you’ll be safe and a happy man…haha
Gosh…I’m sure you can buy those packets of bak kut teh spices at the oriental shops there? Very easy to cook one’s own actually. It all depends on the spices – the tastes may vary…so some are nicer than others, depending on what you like.
Tak pandai steam. Sobs…sked the pot meletup. So must wait people feed me steamed stuff. LOL! *BIG HINT*
So you miss out on all the steamy pleasures lah? Hahahahaha!!!! Aiyor…if you have enough water, how to meletup… Even if you forget and it all dries up, you’ll end up with a burnt pot and a horrible smell in the kitchen, that’s all! Humph!! Lazy…harap2 people will feed you only! Spank! Spank! LOL!!!
I envy that you can have this very tasty soup because as much as I want that even if I have the capacity to cook that dish, the ingredients is just a pain to find here. Maybe I should go there and indulge!
Try the oriental shops… Chinatown maybe? They should have those packets of herbal mixture for bak kut teh. They wouldn’t be more expensive – usually more or less, the same as here or everywhere else, without conversion. LOL!!!
[...] had sent me some bak kut teh (herbal pork bone soup) spices via poslaju. There was one packet of the CKC (Cheong Kim Chuan) brand which some people claim is the best, the [...]