some thoughts about bak kut teh

had it yesterday for dinner and it was great

1. Yum.

2. Definitely one of my top two herbal soups. I didn’t like it as a kid (what kid likes herbal stuff? it’s so strong tasting, definitely a kind of acquired taste). In case you’re wondering, the other one of my top soups is the chicken herbal soup, but specifically the one that is steamed in a whole coconut or added into the coconut shell, and makes use of coconut water which gives it a really sweet and fresh flavour.

3. Yes, Bak Kut Teh is a herbal soup. I don’t even want to hear what you might have to say about that peppery alternative, because that’s just regular pork stomach soup! No pretenders to the throne are allowed here.

4. In primary school, I once had a comic book subscription that my parents thought would improve my Mandarin, and I vividly remember one of the issues was a whole PSA about Bak Kut Teh and how it was super unhealthy for you because of the saturated fats, and in the comic the dad actually had to go to the hospital because of some heart-related problem caused by bak kut teh. This was terrifying to me because it was (and still is) one of my dad’s favourite things to eat. Inexplicably they also described it as really delicious, so I think I made more of an effort to see why it was so good…

5. Surely the herbal aspect of the soup negates the bad aspects of the fats? But then if they both cancel out each other the dish just becomes neutral. So we’re back to square zero.

6. Absolutely must be eaten with you tiao! The salty crispy oily dough soaked in the soup is just something you have to experience yourself.

7. Other great complementary dishes to eat with it: stir-fried clams, sizzling tofu, chicken feet (not my favourite personally but I can kind of see the appeal), and maybe some kind of omelette, doesn’t matter what’s in it as long as it has really crispy edges.

8. Hot soup is just great in general. Apparently the older you get, the more you want to eat things that are temperature-hot, as opposed to lukewarm or cold. My mom will heat up a dish more than once during dinner sometimes, especially if it’s soup-based. I’ve really come to appreciate it too, when I’m not burning off the top layer of my mouth and tongue because of impatience.

9. Apparently such a thing as dry bak kut teh exists. I haven’t tried it yet, but this is a note to self to find somewhere that sells it. I’m a little apprehensive, as a soup fan, but I’ll report back if it’s excellent.

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