What I think is a uniquely Asean thing to do is to drink a steaming hot soup during lunch, which is the warmest time of the day. Have you ever tried this food experience before? To enjoy a bowl of soup while you're sweating because of the warm weather? I did that today during lunchtime 😅.
The soup was steaming when it was served to me, you can tell by the build-up of moisture on the side of the chopstick. This dish is called Bak Kut Teh which is the Hokkien phrase for "meat bone tea". When this translation was first taught to me by my colleague, it sounded weird to me because the tea that I know is either green tea or Earl Grey tea. But, why this soup is called tea, I still don't know the reasons why it is called that way. I guess I will ask around on my next visit to this food place.
This place is called Lucky Bak Kut Teh. If I read the signboard correctly, this place has been operating since 1970 which is a good reputation to hold. I think and I can taste that in that long history they have learned how to perfect the tenderness of the meat. I'm impressed by the quality of the pork ribs that they served me.
I have not mastered my chopstick handling skills yet but if I'm able to rip off a chunk of meat from the rib then it must be tender.
The dish is quite simple, I was served with pork ribs with a generous amount of soup, a bowl of rice, and a saucer of dark sauce with slices of chili peppers in it. The whole set cost me S$6.50 and it was worth it.
I felt happy that I was served 2 good quality pork ribs with a lot of meat on them. With the price of this dish, I think that it's a good value meal. In a restaurant, this will probably cost me at least S$12.00 already.
If you like the flavor of garlic and ground peppermint then this dish is for you. Aside from those ingredients, there is a...
mixture of fragrant herbs and spices such as garlic, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, and coriander.
I found the information about the ingredients in an article that was posted by Singapore's National Library Board, so I believe that it's legitimate knowledge about this dish.
For me, a fun way of eating the meal is to put a small portion of rice, pork meat, and soup in a spoon and slurp it. In this way, I can enjoy all of the flavors of the dish in one go.
I almost forgot to highlight, that there are a few styles of making the soup of Bak Kut Teh which are either condensed soup or a light soup just like what I had during this meal. I prefer the light version because it feels like I drink more of it :D.
My journey to the world of food.
