Outram Park Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh

Bak Kut Teh is one of Singapore’s famous delicacies. “Bak Kut” means meat bones in Hokkien. However the dish generally uses pork ribs as the meat. “Teh” means tea. The pork ribs are simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices, which is gives the broth a peppery taste. You Tiao (strips of fried dough) is also commonly eaten with the pork ribs as a condiment. To complete the whole meal, tea is being served together with the pork ribs and You Tiao. Why are tea and pork ribs being associated with each other? Well, it is believed that the tea helps to dissolve the amount of fat on the pork-laden dish. 

History of Bak Kut Teh:

Bak Kut Teh was actually founded during the pre-wars! Back then, there were lots of Chinese coolies who would work till dawn carrying sacks of rice and other goods. Hence they drink soup made from boiling pork bones with garlic and pepper to boost their energy. This humble dish was then evolved to a rich-man dish where instead of just pork bones; it is served with pork meat. Hence, it was a dish where Towkays (boss) would eat and talk over business. It was also served during breakfast.
There are 2 versions of Bak Kut Teh, the Teochew version and the Hokkien version. (Teochew and Hokkien are dialect groups most common in Singapore) The most distinctive difference between the two is that the Teochew version of Bak Kut Teh uses light soy sauce in the soup, while the Hokkien version uses dark soy sauce, hence the soup base is dark in colour as compared to the Teochew version.

Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha (pork ribs in Chinese)  at Keppel Road

Personally, I prefer the Teochew version due to its stronger flavour in the broth as it adds more garlic and pepper. My personal favourite Bak Kut Teh stall would be Outram Park Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh. It is raved by many celebrities like Gurmit Singh, one of Singapore’s famous

Photographs of famous celebrities eating at Ya Hua

host and actor. Not only that, this stall had won numerous awards and was featured in countless of newspapers report and television series!  

A little history about Outram Park Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh, it was originally located at Outram Park however it removed to Keppel Road. In 1987, Frankie Gwee had let him blinded in his right eye due to a motorcycle accident, a broken spine and had to go through operations for over three years. In a bid to help Frankie, his two sisters set up a Bak Kut Teh shop in Outram Park since 2001. I was honoured to meet Mr Frankie and took a picture with him while I had my meal! 

Bak Kut Teh with You Tiao and Chinese tea

The Bak Kut Teh was excellent! The broth was not too peppery and has a tinge of sweetness to it. I then realised that the sweetness came from the marrow of the pork bones, hence there wasn’t any added sugar to it. The meat was very tender and it was also able to retain its spiciness of the pepper from the broth. The You Tiao was fresh from the fryer and not stale unlike some Bak Kut Teh stalls I have tried from. It complements the pork ribs really well as it gave a little crispiness to the dish. Overall, I felt really satisfied by the Bak Kut Teh as it was executed really well by the chefs! Due to its mouth-watering Bak Kut Teh, the stall was also one of the top 12 nominees to represent Singapore in competing against Gordon Ramsay. Furthermore, the stall is also opened 24 hours! When Donald Tsang, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, came to Singapore and wanted to try the Bak Kut Teh from Ng Ah Sio, another famous Bak Kut Teh stall, he was not able to find a seat. However, Ya Hua specially opened at night to provide him a bowl of Bak Kut Teh, hence showing how hospitable this stall is! My family had gone to Ya Hua several times, during the wee hours of morning after watching a midnight movie. Surprisingly, there were still people seen eating Bak Kut Teh during that time! After all the compliments about this Bak Kut Teh stall, I can safely say this should be considered as Singapore’s best!

Braised pig trotters is also one of their signature dish

 Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh show a unique Singapore spirit as it brings Singaporeans together regardless of what time, during the wee hours of mornings or late at night. It is also able to bond with long lost friends and families over a bowl of Bak Kut Teh with a cup of piping hot tea. I am grateful for having Bak Kut Teh existing in Singapore. Because of the Towkays who had poured out their compassion in helping the needy, building schools and hospitals back then, Singapore would never be the same without our forefathers. Hence, Bak Kut Teh helps Singaporeans to reminisce back in the olden days and be grateful for the Towkays who contributed so much to the society.