Anak Bapak – Halal “Bak Kut Teh” In the East!

My dear Muslim friends, let me introduce you to a place where you can try halal bak kut teh! Anak Bapak has been in business for more than 20 years already. Mr Kamal, the owner, manages the stall with his son. You’ll find dishes such as beef bak kut teh, char kway teow, mee bandung, soya sauce chicken noodles, and more on their menu. Don’t worry if the dishes that I’ve mentioned aren’t your cup of tea— their menu boasts more than 20 dishes!

“What do you recommend?” I asked Mr Kamal. “Everything is nice! Many like my beef bak kut teh and noodle dishes. Up to you la!” Mr Kamal replied. I’ve never tried halal bak kut teh and I was excited to see how it differs from the Chinese bak kut teh. So I ordered the Beef Bak Kut Teh ($6), which comes with a plate of rice.

The beef bak kut teh was served piping hot in a claypot. The herbal and garlicky aroma was unmistakable. I find that the highlight of bak kut teh is the soup. Even if the meat is just so-so, at least the fantastic soup will make up for it. The very first spoonful of bak kut teh already impressed me! Mr Kamal prepares his soup with the typical bak kut teh ingredients such as dang gui, wolfberry and garlic. The soup doesn’t differ much from the Chinese version, and that’s really commendable. The herbal flavour was strong, yet not overwhelming. I could also detect a subtle beef flavour. So yummy!

There were five pieces of meat in the soup — two were big chunks, whereas the other three were bite-sized pieces. “I use beef ribs. It’s more tender and better,” Mr Kamal shared. Indeed, they were fall-off-the-bone tender. I can’t imagine finding tough meat in my bak kut teh! I liked that the meat was cooked for a long enough time and had absorbed the flavours of the soup.

I didn’t think too highly of the rice as I thought it was just white rice infused with pandan. Boy, was I wrong! It was actually chicken rice! It tasted even better than the chicken rice from some Chinese chicken rice stalls. The grains were nicely separated, and not sticky. I’ll give this two thumbs up! The house-made sambal, which was fiery and fragrant, complemented the rice really well.

I love both herbal and peppery soups. As long as they taste good, I don’t see a reason to not like it! If you prefer the herbal bak kut teh, or just want to give halal bak kut teh a try, you now know where to go!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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