BAK kut teh, Teochew style, is miles away from the traditional Klang bak kut teh, which has a darker, thicker soup strongly flavoured with herbs.

At Tien Tien Bak Kut Teh in Puchong, the milder Teochew pork rib soup is what it offers and which we like.

There are subtle hints of herbs in the light brown, almost clear soup, among them, the dominant dong quai, of which you would catch a whiff if you enter any bak kut teh shop.

The menu at Tien Tien lists a wide variety of bak kut teh, from the usual pork ribs to soft bone, Wong Dai Kuat (big bone) to pork belly, knuckle, pork leg tender, and pig’s stomach and intestines.

Our lunch for the six of us covered all these, plus the must-have items like yau char kwai, toufu pok (beancurd puffs) and shallot oil rice.

A bowl of enoki mushrooms in bak kut teh soup and a plate of romaine lettuce (yau choy) tossed in soy and oyster sauce were our vegetables for this meaty meal.

I’m all for this light, flavourful pork rib soup which enhances rather than overwhelms the meat in it. My favourite parts would be the pork tender (chee chang), the leaner pork belly we requested for, pork stomach and intestines.

The soup entices you to eat more shallot rice. I enjoyed the squishy toufu pok and of course the crispy yau char kwai dunked in the soup.

As usual we had ordered too much, and I went home with a takeaway box. I have to say that the bak kut teh tasted even better reheated a day later, with the essence of the soup well embraced in the meat. The bak kut teh was RM16 a bowl, regardless of whether it was pork belly or ribs.

We were pleasantly surprised by other dishes we could have at Tien Tien. We went for assam stingray (RM10) curry chicken (RM8), salty chicken (RM12), pig’s stomach pepper soup (RM16), Hakka braised pork (RM10), pig’s trotter in black vinegar (RM16) and spicy and sour vegetables (RM6).

The assam stingray was sour, hot and fragrant with lemongrass and bunga kantan. It was an excellent curry and I enjoyed sliding the flesh off the soft bones of the stingray and savouring it in the curry.

The curry chicken was aromatic with spices and tasted good too.

The salted chicken looked smooth and luscious; again it tasted heaps better when it was steamed again the next day at home.

We liked the Hakka braised pork which had been stewed in red fermented bean curd with mok yee or wood ear fungus.

There was an uncharacteristic tanginess about it which went well with the rich meat and the black, slithery sheets of mok yee.

I would have liked a tart and more pungent pig’s trotter in black vinegar, with lots of ginger in it. This was light on the black vinegar and ginger, though there were dried red chillies to add zest to it.

The pig stomach pepper soup could have been made with more peppercorns in it. The spicy and sour vegetables turn out just right for my taste.

It’s worthwhile taking the drive to Puchong to Tien Tien Bak Kut Teh, which is in a large, clean and airy shophouse. For all the food we ordered, the bill came to just RM173.50.

Tien Tien Bak Kut Teh is at 36-G Jalan Puteri 2/4, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong. Contact 011-1693-7230. – February 19, 2022.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.