When it comes to Singapore food, the first thing that comes to mind is bak Kut teh. When we say "bak Kut teh", many people may mistake it for the name of a kind of tea. In fact, this "tea" is not the other "tea". It is a well-known pork ribs medicinal soup in Singapore.
The production method is very simple. The "meat bone" is made of pork ribs, which are cut into segments about one finger long, and then cooled after flying water to remove impurities on the surface. Then, take some peeled garlic, fry it until golden brown, then fly water to remove the oil, add some Chinese yam, Lycium barbarum, longan and other medicinal materials, then add spices such as dried tangerine peel, white pepper, licorice and star anise, then put all the materials in a pot, add water and simmer for about 3-4 hours, and add salt and other spices to make a "meat and bone tea" with exotic flavor. It is usually served with a dish of "Finger Pepper Soy Sauce" for dipping ribs or seasoning soup, and ordinary soy sauce can also be served for those who don't like spicy food.
Feel absolutely delicious
Just a few days before I went to Singapore, I stopped in Malaysia, and I also had bak Kut teh on Aru Street, a Kuala Lumpur food street recommended by Cai Lan. Comparing the two times, I think the taste of Bak Ku Teh in Singapore is even more amazing. I think it may be because the Bak Ku Teh restaurant that my friend took us to is the most famous one in Singapore-"the initiator Bak Ku Teh restaurant". When I walked into this restaurant, I saw that the furnishings were extremely ordinary, even to the extent of shabby. However, the tables were full and the seats were occupied. Look at the walls on both sides, covered with photos of the shopkeeper (an old man named Cai Shuifa, who has been hunched in the kitchen while we are eating) and the stars who patronize here; The number of stars who "come to guide" is too numerous to count, including the past "big brothers" in the entertainment industry who have passed away, and new idols such as S.H.E and Wilber Pan. According to a friend in Singapore, there was a visitor who had just arrived in Singapore and didn't know the famous Bak Ku Teh. When she was led by a friend to this humble restaurant, she was shocked to see the name of the store, because she read it as "launching' human flesh' bone tea".
After listening to this little episode at the dinner table, hot bak Kut teh was served. I saw an ordinary porcelain bowl with three white ribs built in, and the soup of beer-like color was steaming-there was no bright color, only a fragrant fragrance. First, I tasted the soup, which was delicious with the refreshing energy of medicinal materials and the smell of pepper. It is said that this is the characteristic of the "initiator", and I suddenly felt a warm current passing through the spleen and stomach, which made me feel indescribable comfortable. And this delicious soup is free and unlimited. A friend said that he once took a tourist from Chongqing to try the bak Kut teh here. As a result, the Chongqing tourist fell in love with the soup of bak Kut teh at once, and even drank six or seven bowls until he was sweating all over. In fact, when I was drinking soup, I had examined the meat bones several times. From the experience of a person who loves meat, this pink color must contain a super fresh and tender taste. Under a try, it really verified the imagination in advance; Coupled with a little spicy soy sauce, this taste is really rare in the world. The hardcore side dish of bak Kut teh is actually a plate of cold fried dough sticks dipped in boiling bak Kut teh soup, which has a unique flavor.
Derivative dishes are equally excellent.
For my first visit to Singapore, I have a better understanding of the delicacy of Bak Ku Teh, and my local friends specially ordered two more derivatives of Bak Ku Teh-pork liver and pork loin cooked with the same soup. As it is cooked in boiling hot water, it goes without saying that the pork liver is fresh and tender, but I want to recommend the pork loin. I have eaten pork loin with different flavors in many hotels in China, either to avoid foul smell and treat it like synthetic pork loin, or to retain both the original flavor and the strange smell. But the pork loin here is different. When you bite it down, the teeth are immediately filled with delicious gravy, and there is no strange taste at all. I really don't know how the shopkeeper Sigh cooks it. A few thin pieces of pork loin were all destroyed by us in an instant, so we can only order another one.
Eating bak Kut teh is a passionate thing, so a cold drink is essential. I strongly recommend coix seed juice, which is light, cool, sweet and pleasant, and you will want to drink it again.
The driver who drove us to the restaurant knows the local food well. He said that Hainan chicken rice in Singapore can be eaten every day and every meal, but bak Kut teh can only be eaten once a week. He didn't explain why, but I realized it at night. Because I had such a delicious bak Kut Teh at noon and added several dishes, I couldn't eat dinner at all.
According to friends, the "sponsor" is not the best Baku-Kut tea in Singapore, but it is very famous. On the same street, about a few hundred meters apart, there is a "morning market bak Kut teh", which is said to have a more delicate taste. However, a friend also said that the owner of the "Morning Market" is a person with great personality. When he is in a good mood, the taste of Baku Teh is meaningless. When he is in a bad mood, the taste of Baku Teh is horrible. Touching my full stomach, I think I'd better try it again next time. I hope the shopkeeper will have a good mood then.