GEORGE TOWN, Nov 20 — When one talks about Penang food, it’s usually about char kuey teow, assam laksa or Hokkien mee. Probably the last thing on your mind is bak kut teh! However, according to executive chef Ng Hai Gim of Coffee Island, this dish is actually very popular here.
Traditionally made with pork ribs and Chinese herbs, the name literally means “Pork Bone Tea”. There’s a bit of a debate as to where it came from: online encyclopaedia Wikipedia states that it is “popularly thought to have originated from Klang”.
However, a large write-up on the “History of Bak Kut Teh” posted on a wall at the front of this outlet in Gurney Drive seems to indicate otherwise: “Bak Kut Teh was created by our ancestors from the north”, which presumably means China. Fujian Province in China, to be precise.
One thing they do agree on is that it was a means of filling the empty stomachs of poor coolies who slaved on the docks and at tin mines. These workers, who worked long hard days in damp, dark environments, needed sustaining and warming food.
This hot, herbal soup provided a degree of tasty nutrition that could be padded out with starchy carbohydrates; the meaty bones, stewed with fortifying Chinese medicinal herbs, were served with either rice or Eu Char Kuey (fried dough sticks).
How the name came about is also debatable. Some say it refers to the grease-cutting Oolong tea that usually accompanies it, as it can be a rather fatty dish. Personally, I think it’s more to do with the fact that tea began as a medicine (The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura) and this dish evolved with the addition of meat bones to make it more nutritious. However, it would be great to hear from anyone who has a better explanation for this.
This outlet — the unusual name is a relic of its previous incarnation as a coffee lover’s paradise — started serving Bak Kut Teh just a few months ago but even in this short time, it is quickly gaining a reputation for their version of this well-known dish.
Here, it’s available in the more traditional soup form — with fu chok (bean curd sheets), innards and other add-ons — or “dry”; the braised meat is cooked until the soup has been reduced then fried with chillies, dried sotong (cuttlefish) and dark soya sauce. They come in different-sized claypots.
However, Chef Ng tells me that that’s where the similarity with other places end. “Ours doesn’t have that medicinal taste commonly associated with Bak Kut Teh, because we don’t use dong kuai in it,” he said, referring to the herb Angelica Sinensis, which is sometimes used to treat “female problems”.
It’s certainly not as heavy or strongly-flavoured as the traditional version, and I can see why many like it, especially men! Having said that, I do prefer the dry version as it is more tender from the double-cooking, with a fragrant, spicy taste that is delicious with white rice.
Coffee Island Bak Kut Teh is served daily from 7.30am to 2.30pm and from 7.30pm to 1am.
If you’re not a fan of this meaty tea though, there is a fairly extensive menu that also offers a number of choo char items that include Nyonya and Thai favourites as well as Western dishes. Their Chicken Curry with Mantou (buns) was quite tasty, and another popular dish is their Wa Tan Bitter Gourd.
This place is a bit of an enigma. On the surface, it comes across as one of those old-fashioned Chinese outlets with middle-aged serving staff who seem to have worked there forever. However, come evenings, it literally lights up, and transforms into a trendy place for the younger crowd and tourists who are out for good, reasonably-priced food.
The semi-alfresco premises — although at night the large air-conditioned extra rooms at the back are put into use — are pleasant and relaxed. Situated right on the bustling Gurney Drive, where if you’re lucky a light breeze blows in from the sea, it’s a place where you can sit back after and watch the world go by whether it’s during the day or late into the night.
The Bak Kut Teh, whatever its origins, is just icing on the cake!
Coffee Island
77 Persiaran Gurney
10250 Penang
Tel: +604 227 2377
Open 365 days a year
