There’s nothing better than a pot of good old bak kut teh on a Sunday morning, what more if it is Klang bak kut teh. So what about Klang SPECIAL bak kut teh? This version of the bak kut teh came highly recommended by eatgod and was acclaimed THE bak kut teh which enthusiasts must try. eatgod did not want to reveal what was so special about it and he even insisted that I find out myself. Curiosity got the better of me so I obliged and off we went to Klang to try out this ‘special’ bak kut teh.
Upon arriving at the shop, eatgod started conversing with the owner in fluent Hokkien. What I could make out from the conversation was hu bak, heh, chim which translates into fish meat, prawns and crab. Were we having SEAFOOD bak kut teh? eatgod told me to be patient and so I did. Meanwhile I locked on the coordinates – 3° 3′42.9″ N, 101° 27′1.6″ E. Looking around the shop, I noticed it was quite cool although the sun was blaring. One of the reason could be that the shop was covered with zinc roofing and the ceiling height was quite high. This was a good combination but it would be hell when it rains. The shop is nicely seated at the junction of Persiaran Pulau Pinang and Lebuh Pulau Pinang. As for the name of the shop…sorry I forgot to take pictures of the signboard but rest assured I will update the shop name the next time I am there.
The cat was finally out of the bag and true enough the pot served in front of us was a pot of seafood bak kut teh. Rummaging through the pot revealed the seafood mentioned earlier – hu bak, heh and chim. The soup was like any other bak kut teh soup but with an extra spicy kick to it. Apparently dried chili and cili padi was used as part of the stock to give it its unique taste. The seafood added more ‘sweetness’ to the soup, making it so addictive that I had to add an extra bowl of rice just to finish it up! Another point worthy of mention about this bak kut teh is that they also include the ligaments and joints of the pork knuckles which adds on to the to the savoury taste of the soup.
We ordered the dry version as well which was prepared with dried prawns, okra, anchovies and of course dried chili. It was my first time having dry bak kut teh and what I could say is that it tastes awesome! Imagine having all that bak kut teh soup simmered over a slow fire into a thick goo-like paste (okay maybe it was not cooked EXACTLY this way) with all of its flavor locked into the pork meat. Each bite resulted in an explosion of aroma and flavor in your mouth, what more when you chew down onto the succulent and juicy meat. I must say that this dry version of bak kut teh really made my day. Writing about it now makes me crave for it even more!
This ‘special’ bak kut teh indeed surpassed my expectations. Who knew that seafood bak kut teh would taste so good? The earlier assumptions were that the seafood would cover up all of the the pork taste but instead the combination was just right. The tastes were distinct yet and at the same time they compliment each other. To my surprise, the spiciness actually brought out the flavors even more and the soup is best taken when still hot and steaming. I guess the cook had mastered the combination, making sure that the flavor is just right.
The price came up to about RM80 for four persons. Not a bad price considering this was SEAFOOD and all other normal bak kut teh costs at least RM10 per head. The only complaint I have is that it takes too long to pick out the crab meat! Everyone else finished up the rest of the pork, fish and prawns! T_T So if any of you are crab fanatics, do not repeat the same mistake like I did!
Next time I’m skipping the crab!
For more articles like this, head on over to the eatgod report.
