【2018年11月号】东南亚美食─肉骨茶

Bak Kut Teh─Soupfor the Soul

    It’sSarah and Tim’s first time in Malaysia. They walk around a crowded food centerand notice that most of the locals are starting their day with a steaming bowlof pork rib soup called bak kut teh.

    A localfavorite in Malaysia and Singapore, bak kut teh, translated directly fromHokkien, means “meat bone tea.” Despite its name, not a drop of tea is used tomake this soup. Rather, pork ribs are slowly simmered in a broth made from afragrant mixture of herbs and spices. This dish is often accompanied by a bowlof fluffy rice, a plate of Chinese crullers, and a cup of tea.  

    Theorigins of bak kut teh are hotly disputed, with both Malaysia and Singaporeclaiming credit for the dish’s creation. Rumor has it that the “teh” in bak kutteh comes from Lee Boon Teh, an immigrant from Fujian who popularized the dishin Malaysia. Meanwhile, Singapore claims the savory soup was invented therefirst after World War II. Whatever its origin, this dish is equally heavenly inboth countries.

    Thereare three traditional variations of bak kut teh. Hokkien-style bak kut teh,most commonly found in Malaysia, is prepared using a variety of Chinese spicesand soy sauce, creating a thick, dark herbal soup. In Singapore, the mostpopular style of bak kut teh is the Teochew variant, which has a clear broththat is heavily spiced with pepper. The third version, Cantonese bak kut teh, usesmore medicinal herbs and is less salty compared to Hokkien bak kut teh.Nowadays, you can even find seafood, chicken, vegetarian, and beef versions ofthis dish. No trip to Malaysia or Singapore would be complete without tryingsome variation of bak kut teh!

东南亚美食──肉骨茶

    这是莎拉和提姆第一次来马来西亚。他们在拥挤的美食中心逛着，并且注意到当地人大多以一碗热腾腾的排骨汤来开始他们的一天，其名为肉骨茶。

　　Bakkut teh 这个词是从闽南语直译而来，意指「肉骨茶」，是马来西亚和新加坡当地人的最爱。尽管如此命名，制作这道汤时并没有用上一滴茶。而是将排骨放入高汤中以慢火煨煮，此汤则是以散发香气的药草和香料混合制成。这道汤通常伴以一碗蓬松白饭丶一盘油条以及一杯茶。

　　在马来西亚及新加坡都将这道汤的发明归功於自己的状况之下，肉骨茶的起源在今日备受争议。根据谣传，肉骨茶的「茶」字来自李文地（注：闽南语「茶」与「地」的拼法皆为teh），他是从福建来的移民，他使这道汤品在马来西亚普及化。与此同时，新加坡则宣称这道咸汤是第二世界大战後在那里先发明的。无论这道汤的起源为何，它在这两个国家里都同样好吃极了。

　　肉骨茶传统上有三种变化。福建派的肉骨茶最常在马来西亚看见，是用多种中式香料和酱油调制，创造出浓稠的深色中药汤头。在新加坡最受欢迎的肉骨茶是潮州派，它有着大量胡椒粉调味的清汤。第三个版本是广东肉骨茶，使用了更多的药材，与福建肉骨茶相比味道比较不咸。如今你甚至可以找到这道汤品的海鲜丶鸡肉丶素食以及牛肉版本。如果去马来西亚或新加坡旅游却没有一试某版本的肉骨茶，就会像少了什麽一样！