Today, I revisited the Food Place food court, located at Pavilion Mall. The food court is located beside the Oriental Kopi Restaurant. It is time to try food from another stall.
This time, I ordered a dry bak kut teh set from the Samy & Min Bak Kut Teh stall, which cost RM31.90 per set. The set comes with bowl of white rice, a small bowl of traditional bak kut teh soup on the side and Crispy you char kway.
Unlike the usual soupy version, this is dry bak kut teh—served in a claypot and braised down until the sauce thickens and clings to every piece of pork.
Inside the pot, you’ll find generous chunks of pork, dark caramelised sauce infused with dried chillies. Inside contains okra and cuttlefish, adding a subtle seafood depth
Bak Kut Teh (literally “meat bone tea”) traces its roots to the Chinese communities in Malaysia and Singapore, particularly among the Hokkien and Teochew immigrants in the 19th century. It was originally a nourishing, affordable meal for port workers and labourers. Pork ribs were simmered with Chinese medicinal herbs such as Angelica root (dang gui), Star anise, Cinnamon, Cloves, and Garlic. Despite the name, there is no tea in the soup itself. The “tea” refers to the strong Chinese tea traditionally served alongside the dish, believed to help cut through the richness of the pork fat.
The dry bak kut teh variation is believed to have originated in Klang, Selangor. Instead of a clear herbal broth, the soup is reduced with dark soy sauce, dried chilies, and sometimes dried cuttlefish, creating a thicker, more robust flavour profile. It’s spicier, heavier, and more intense compared to the traditional soup version.
Today, dry bak kut teh is especially popular in Malaysia and is often seen as the more modern, flavour-forward evolution of the classic.
