Bak Kut Teh was recently listed among the heritage foods in Malaysia, much to the criticisms of some people who find it inappropriate given the main ingredient of the dish – pork.
A businessman in KL mall sells authentic Chinese cuisine to his customers, including Bah Kut Teh. But to allow everyone to taste it, he prepares a Halal version of the dish by using chicken as the main ingredient. No pork, no lard.
His food is meant for everyone, according to an interview with Sin Chew Daily.
His restaurant – Pak Ananda Chic Kut Teh, which is located in Eko Cheras Mall has been receiving a lot of customers recently. Despite the majority of Chinese crowds in the mall, Pak Ananda said that about 30% of Malay customers patronise his restaurant to enjoy the food, and many of them are repeat customers.
“I can sell between 80 to 100 portions of Chic Kut Teh in a day.”
He said that his decision to run his business in a Chinese-majority area was mainly due to being a new player in town, and he had not received enough feedback from the customers about the taste of his food.
“We tested the water here to understand the market reaction, and we tried to understand the taste Malay customers and improve what’s necessary.”
Bah Kut Teh is not necessarily pork
Pak Ananda also said that to meet the standards of Halal certification, he had hired a Malay cook to prepare the dishes. There is also a reason why he is selling Halal version of Bah Kut Teh, and not the pork version of the dish.
He has always wanted to attract Muslim customers to try the dish.
“It is actually a healthy, medicinal food. It’s made by boiling medicinal ingredients and meat, which does not necessarily have to be pork. You can replace it with chicken, beef, mutton. Everyone can enjoy it.”
His intention is also to inform everyone that Bak does not mean pork, but meat.
To our Muslim friends, have you given a Chic Kut Teh a try? To those who have, what do you think of this version of the dish?
