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by Chen Jingwen
Singapore, March 29, 2012 Click on thumbnails below to see bigger and more pictures: Eng Kee Bak Kut Teh Click on thumbnails below to see bigger and more pictures: Read also: Reviews of good Bak Kut Teh stalls: - Kai Juan Bak Kut Teh is open round-the-clock - New Paper writers' pick of good Bak Kut Teh stalls
Eng Kee Bak Kut Teh
Block 341, Teck Ghee Court Market and Food Centre
Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1
If you've been complaining about the broth of Teochew-style pork rib soup being too light and almost bland, you should try Eng Kee's richly seasoned version at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 food centre.
It's packed with enough meaty glutamates and salt for you to rush to the nearest water fountain to wash down the thirst-inducing flavours.
It's probably the saltiest and most savoury Teochew Bak Kut Teh I've ever eaten. And I needed the plain white rice to dilute the saltiness.
But it's this overwhelming 'umami' taste that draws many customers from all walks of life to this stall in the Prime Minister's ward.
You can see them lapping up the soup and chomping the meaty chunks of pork with gusto.
Stall owner, Mr Toh Aik Poon, who is Teochew of course, has no complicated recipe for his Bak Kut Teh. He cooks the pork ribs simply with salt, pepper, garlic...and some MSG, which enhances the 'umami' taste.
But I found that the taste of the additive was still challenged by the big meaty flavour of pork and pungent pepper. If you were to stir the broth, you'd see copious bits of residues from cooked bones and meat.
However, it didn't have the thickness of collagen from bones that are boiled for hours - a textural richness that you find in some famous pork rib soups.
But yet, Mr Toh's version was very good. Cooked till slightly tender but still keeping their shape, the meaty ribs were natural-tasting in terms of flavour and texture.
Even better was his pork legs braised in dark soy sauce together with whole cloves of garlic and a touch of sugar till the the skin, fat and tendon became tender and well-flavoured.
Again, the recipe for this winning dish is very simple, uncomplicated by any addition of herbs or spices. So it's for people who also love dark soy sauce which is a bit salty.
The popularity of the two dishes helped clinch for him an award for Top 10 Bak Kut Teh stalls in Singapore.
Both shared a winning factor - they were so well cleaned and prepared that they had no offensive porky taste or smell.
It's seldom that I could relish braised fat without feeling queasy.
You can enjoy the two dishes with the preserved vegetable or Mei Cai, which was less salty. And good youtiao, cut in chunks, tasted great when dunked into the Bak Kut Teh.
But after this ultra-rich meaty feast, I needed the iced kalamansi lime drink from a neighbouring stall.
Rating for Bak Kut Teh: 8/10
Rating for Braised Pork Leg: 8.5/10
Block 341, Teck Ghee Court Market and Food Centre
Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, #01-04
Singapore 560341
- Business Times' recommended Bak Kut Teh stalls
