I have noticed a new version of bak kut teh, known as Klang-style bak kut teh, popping up in town and around the suburbs. Out of curiosity, my wife and I checked out one such outlet along the small cluster found in the Beach Road/Sultan Mosque area. While most of us are familiar with the two types of bak kut teh (Hokkien and Teochew) found locally, the Klang version has its own merits too. Its profile is not too far away from our local versions' but has enough attributes to be called a kind of its own.

Leong Kee serves the Klang version of bak kut teh. The pork ribs are simmered in a broth enriched with dark soya and Chinese herbs like dang gui, anise, ginseng and cinnamon. Pig skin, minus the fat, is also added in along with fried beancurd skin, giving the broth a slight toasty aroma. The addition of pig skin gives the broth a slight gelatinous flow and adds complexity to the palate. To many people, this is the difference that differentiates Klang-style bak kut teh from our local version. Mushrooms and fresh lettuce are also added to the broth for garnishing. This makes the whole dish look more balanced and complete, rather than just soup and bones.

However, the herbal notes of the bak kut teh were inconsistent the three times we tried it; still, they kept the soup pleasant. The first time, we had stronger notes of anise root; the second time, we got a larger dose of danggui and our most recent visit found cinnamon and star anise fronting the bouquet of herbal aromas.

What my wife really likes is to dunk the pieces of pork ribs in the superior dark soy sauce. Far better than most commercial versions I have tasted, the lovely dark soy served here as a dip is excellent with the meaty pork ribs.

Leong Kee also does a very good pork trotter stew. I like the fact that they never reject a request to have a leaner cut of meat. The trotters are always well stewed to a lovely tenderness in superior soy, garlic and spices. Having the rich gravy mixed with rice just makes me go "ooh la la"!

The side dishes were well done too. Take the oyster sauce vegetables for example. A generous sprinkling of shallots and a few crispy cubes of fried pork lard give the dish a sense of sinful indulgence. The other options are pretty standard, like braised taupok, soy braised eggs and pickled vegetables. Another good idea is to get a side portion of dough fritters (right) to dip into the broth of the bak kut teh or gravy of their stewed pork trotters.

What deserves special mention is their braised peanuts which I found very flavourful and delicious. I can just eat a whole plate by itself! It was very well braised with the nuts absorbing the soy, garlic and streaky pork flavours, making it really rich and tasty with a lingering umami sensation on the palate.  

Leong Kee Klang Bak Kut Teh
Coffee Shop at junction of Sultan Gate w Beach Road