What is the Difference between Singapore & Johor Teochew Bak Kut Teh?

Clear peppery, Teochew bak kut teh is synonymous with Singapore bak kut teh. Across the Causeway in "Little Swatow" or Johor Bahru, Teochew bak kut teh soup is brownish savoury herbal. Looking at the two bak kut teh, some people may be surprised to hear that they are both Teochew bak kut teh sharing the same roots.

How did the siblings turned out so differently? 🤷‍♂️

Roots

Teochew people originate from the Chaoshan region of China's Guangdong province and they first arrived in Bintan island (in Indonesia's Riau islands) in numbers in the 1700s to work in the gambier and pepper plantations. (Image of pepper plantation courtesy of NAS.)

At that time, today's Riau islands, east Sumatra, Singapore and Johor were part of the realm of the Johor Sultanate. From Bintan island, the Teochew ran gambier and pepper plantations expanded into Singapore in the early 1800s. Gambier and pepper plantations were established at river banks and were known as "chu kang". Today, Lim Chu Kang, Choa Chu Kang, Yio Chu Kang etc are legacies of these riverside plantations and settlements.

By the mid-1800s, there were some 800 gambier and pepper plantations in Singapore. Singapore was running out of land for plantations. Hence, the Teochew ran gambier and pepper plantations expanded into Johor facilitated by the Sultan of Johor, Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim.

As Teochew people made up the majority Johor Bahru's Chinese community, the city was nicknamed "Little Swatow" after the Chaoshan port city where many Teochew people came from.

Chinese have been making soup by boiling pork and pork bones in pots over wood or charcoal fire since time immemorial.

Johor Teochew

In Johor, soy sauce and a bit of herbs are added to the bak kut teh soup, giving it a light coloured look. The result is a savoury flavour bak kut teh with subtle underlying sweetness from fresh pork and hints of herbs. There is no pepper in Johor bak kut teh even though Teochew people first came here in numbers in the mid-1800s to work on gambier and pepper plantations.The colour of Johor bak kut teh soup ranges from light tea to thick tea colour.The lightest is the Soon Huat family of bak kut teh restaurants. The clear soup is so light, it can be described as watery. But its savoury sweet herbal flavours are well balanced and well liked. Indeed, Soon Huat is the biggest brand of Johor bak kut teh with some 30 outlets..., no..., I should say the biggest in the world 🌏The most famous Johor bak kut teh is perhaps Kiang Kee near Kota Tinggi even though it has only one outlet located nearly 2 hours drive from Singapore. The soup is also the darkest in Johor. It has thick full body with robust savoury flavour and a slight herbal aftertaste (perhaps due to Klang bak kut teh influence).Most Johor bak kut teh are between the extremes of light (Soon Huat) and dark (Kiang Kee).Bak Cheng is a legend among JB folks, and not only bak kut teh fans. The Teochew Ah Hia was known for his fiery temper. The day he dumped an entire pot of bak kut teh in a fit of anger into Sungai Segget (JB's "Singapore River") at his stall at Pasar Kia (JB's "Teochew Market") is still part of JB foodie folklore. Today, there are perhaps a dozen bak kut teh shops linked to Bak Cheng's family and extended family.Bak Cheng's soup is between the extremes of Soon Huat (clear and light) and Kiang Kee (dark and heavy). It looks like teh O (tea) and it has a dominant savoury profile with subtle herbal taste.The other popular brands of Johor bak kut teh like Sze Wah and Hwa Mei Ah Bee, both tread the middle ground between the light and dark extremes.One thing for certain, mainstream bak kut teh in "Little Swatow" do not have pepper in their soup.In Johor Bahru, it was pepper, pepper everywhere, but not a speck in my soup 😄 Why weren't any pepper used in Johor Teochew bak kut teh? I don't know. Please share in the comments, if you know the reason or have a theory about it 🙏

Singapore Teochew

Singapore bak kut teh is synonymous with its peppery garlicky soup. Boutique brands like Lau Ah Tee's bak kut teh's soup are greyish white as it is made with only pepper, garlic and pork ribs - that's all.At another boutique brand Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh, the clear soup has a well balanced savoury peppery garlicky taste with underlying sweetness. The pepperiness is mild, not too assertive.The three biggest names in Singapore Teochew peppery bak kut teh are Founder, Ng Ah Sio and Song Fa. They all add a bit of soy sauce and seasoning to the garlic, pepper, and pork ribs in their soup, so they have a yellowish brown hue.The Big Three Teochew bak kut teh brands that fly the Singapore peppery soup flag for tourists and overseas, all have a savoury taste with signature pungent pepperiness that shouts for attention.Was the father of Singapore Teochew bak kut teh a pepper plantation worker who threw some peppercorns into his pork soup, or the coolie who brewed pork soup with the peppercorns that fell from the sacks on his back? We don't know 🤷‍♂️ (Images courtesy of NAS, NAS.)There are no documents or artefacts that conclusively prove the origin of Singapore's peppery bak kut teh, either way. If you have insights or a theory, please share it in the comments 🙏

Outside the family - Hokkien bak kut teh

In Singapore, there's also Hokkien bak kut teh, though it is a vanishing dish in our hawker culture. Hokkien bak kut teh soup is pitch black in colour - darker than the darkest Teochew BKT soup (even in Johor). It tastes savoury-sweet-herbal with prominent dang gui and liquorice flavour.In Johor Bahru, they don't say Teochew bak kut teh just like we don't say Cantonese char siew in Singapore. There's only one type of bak kut teh from Johor Bahru, with more or less soy sauce and herbs but no pepper.In Singapore, the terms Teochew bak kut teh or peppery bak kut teh are often used, perhaps to differentiate it from Hokkien bak kut teh which uses little or no pepper.Stating the differences is not the hardest part, how we got here is still murky 🤷‍♂️ 🤔Date: 15 Oct 2020