Literally, pork rib and tea.
Bak kut teh is one of the most popular dishes in Singapore. For its simplicity and its intense flavor. It is a dish that today's Singaporeans have grown up with. How did it happen to film director Eric Khoo. “It reminds me of my childhood, as a child we ate it as a family once or twice a week,” he says. And as one of the protagonists of his latest film says A family recipe (Ramen Shop), bak kut teh is a national treasure.
The origin goes back to the 30s of the last century. Influenced by Chinese chefs, it began to be prepared in the port areas of Singapore. The fishermen and workers of the area they couldn't afford to pay for pork, but to stay healthy and regain strength they found the solution in making broths made from the bones of the pig (the ribs) mixed with medicinal herbs and with garlic and pepper to give it more flavor.
Literally, Bak Kut means pork rib. And Teh is tea. But it does not mean that the herbs with which it is prepared are for tea. The name comes because After eating a plate of bak kut teh, they would have a cup of Chinese tea while chatting with friends before heading back to work.
The film is a perfect gastro tour of Singapore.
With that ritual of friendship at a table, he gained his popularity until today. The reason why Eric Khoo chose bak kut teh to pair with ramen as a symbol of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan. In A Family Recipe the main character, a Japanese cook, learns to make the perfect bak kut teh and we with him thanks to a deliciously shot sequence.
And then, as a round ending, Khoo enlisted the help of one of the top ramen chefs in both Japan and Singapore, Keisuke Takeda for create the ramen teh recipe, that is: ramen + bak kut teh, ramen teh.
At Traveler we help you create your own: we leave you the traditional bak kut teh recipe. And now we show you recipes for different types of ramen: tonkotsu or **tori paitan. **
Challenge: create your own teh ramen.
Soup first, then tea.