I often go to Singapore to give lectures. When I get there, my friends treat me to bak kut teh every time (actually, I don’t know whether to call it “eating” or “drinking”). This kind of Bak Kut Teh is very common in Singapore, and many shops are very popular. The store that my friends often invite me to is always packed almost every time I see it. It is said that Jackie Chan and many other big-name stars eat there, and they even cooperate with the boss to open franchise stores. But the boss refused, saying that the secret of this taste is difficult to copy, and his generation would never join the franchise.
The first time I ate this Bak Kut Teh, I felt that there was something special about it. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, it was very suitable for the hot and humid climate in Singapore.
Now that we have reached summer here, the weather is starting to be hot and humid. I think I can recommend this delicacy to everyone!
First, let’s take a look at the origin of this bak kut teh. It is said that there are two schools of bak kut teh in Singapore. One is from Fujian, which has a stronger medicinal flavor and a darker soup; the other is from Chaoshan, which is more It's light and the soup is pure.
Initially, Bak Kut Teh was popular in Malaysia. It is said that in Klang, Malaysia, at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese left their hometowns and came to Nanyang to make a living. Because of their low level of knowledge, many Chinese can only sell their labor force, such as working as tricycle drivers or working as coolies at the dock, so they need to have good physical strength. In order to maintain physical strength and adapt to the hot and humid climate in the tropics, I turned to traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. Therefore, Chinese medicine practitioners improved the tea in southern Fujian and Chaoshan, and used local pepper, angelica, chuanxiong, cinnamon, licorice and other ingredients to prepare bak kut tea bags. After using it, everyone felt it was very good. , can discharge moisture and increase physical strength, so it has been widely spread since then. Later, after continuous development and improvement, it has become a special delicacy of the Chinese society in Singapore and Malaysia.
Speaking of the name Bak Kut Teh, it is actually meat bone soup with tea. The two are separate. After everyone has finished eating, you can drink some tea and chat, so it is called Bak Kut Teh.
So, how to make this Bak Kut Teh? What principles of traditional Chinese medicine are there?
In fact, due to the martial arts, there are many ways to make Bak Kut Teh. I only recommend a simple way today.
First prepare 500 grams of pork ribs, 1 tablespoon of white peppercorns, 150 grams of garlic, a little five-spice powder, 1 tablespoon of rock sugar and salt. You can also use two or three longan meat instead of rock sugar. In Singapore, longan meat and Wolfberry.
First chop the ribs into pieces, boil them in water, wash them and set aside. Then add white peppercorns to the clay pot, turn on low heat, and stir-fry until the pepper aroma comes out. Add water, garlic, ribs, five-spice powder and rock sugar, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, season with salt and serve. It will become a "Bak Kut Teh" with a very exotic flavor. It is usually served with a dish of soy sauce for dipping the ribs or seasoning the soup.
So, what is the secret of this Bak Kut Teh?
It turns out that in the summer, when the weather is hot, we are particularly prone to sweating, which will cause the loss of body fluids. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "blood and sweat come from the same source" and "sweat is the fluid of the heart." Therefore, a large amount of body fluids may cause The problem is much more complex than we imagine. Therefore, it is necessary to nourish body fluids at this time to allow the body to recover. But, how to nourish body fluid?
For this situation, Chinese medicine has many methods, such as Li Dongyuan using Shengmai Yin to replenish both qi and yin, etc. Wang Mengying, a master of traditional Chinese medicine in the Qing Dynasty, got inspiration while observing the blacksmith working.
We know that there was no air conditioning in that era, so in the summer when the blacksmith was forging iron, he was sweating profusely, because red-hot iron requires extremely high temperatures to soften. At this time, blacksmiths will sweat a lot, so what do they use to quench their thirst? Do you want to drink cold water? No, Wang Mengying observed that they would use lean pork, boil water, and then let it warm. When they are thirsty, they would take a spoonful, blow off the oil on it, and drink the pork soup.
This method is definitely summed up in labor. What kind of drink can best quench thirst and restore the body the best. Wang Mengying saw it and realized something. Because Chinese medicine believes that pork tastes sweet and salty, flat in nature, and enters the spleen, stomach, and kidney channels; it has the effects of nourishing kidney and blood, nourishing yin and moistening dryness. Pork soup can replenish body fluid, nourish yin and promote body fluid. Therefore, the accidental discovery of blacksmiths during labor is in line with the principles of Chinese medicine.
In Singapore, the weather is hot and people sweat easily. Drinking some pork soup at this time can nourish and replenish body fluids.
And the pepper powder in the Bak Kut Teh is definitely very knowledgeable.
When drinking this Bak Kut Teh, we will taste the strong taste of pepper. So, why do we put such hot things in the hot weather?
I don’t know if you have noticed that in places with hot and humid weather, the food is often spicy, such as in Hunan, Guangxi and other places. Even in Hainan, it is popular to eat lantern peppers. We generally think this is because they want to avoid the cold in winter. Wet, in fact, it is very beneficial to use this kind of spicy food when it is hot and humid in summer.
The mechanism of the human body is very strange. In winter, the body's skin is dense, and the Yang Qi must be strong to resist the cold outside. In summer, Chinese medicine describes that the human body has yang energy outside and yin energy inside. This is a metaphor. In fact, it is only relative. The reason is: in winter, the human body must speed up its operation and work hard to cope with the cold, so that the body can maintain a normal state, so the yang energy in the body is strong. In summer, when the weather is warm, the human body only needs a slight movement to maintain operation. Therefore, the power mobilized by the body at this time is limited, which makes it seem that the yang energy in the body is not that sufficient. In fact, it is not needed. . However, the temperature outside the body is very high, which creates a phenomenon that seems to be that Yang Qi is outside and Yin Qi is inside. In fact, this is just a simple and vivid statement, and there is reason in it after careful consideration.
But in summer, when the righteousness in the body is relatively relaxed, it is easy for us to impose some burdens on ourselves, such as cold drinks and so on.
Therefore, in summer, people are more likely to injure the spleen and stomach, and the body's righteousness is curbed by the cold. We can recall, in summer, how many times did we drink cold drinks until our stomach hurts, and how many times did we eat cold food, which caused diarrhea and abdominal pain? You should all remember it vividly, right?
Therefore, at this time, putting a little pepper in the Bak Kut Teh can invigorate the Qi of the spleen and stomach, warm the Yang Qi, and restore the body to normal.
In Bak Kut Teh, white pepper is generally used. The specific amount can be tried according to your own taste. Generally, you don’t need a large amount, just a little bit. In Singapore, the drink is a bit spicy, and you will generally sweat, which is also a way to get rid of moisture.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that pepper can warm the middle, lower the qi, eliminate phlegm, and detoxify. It can be used to treat cold phlegm and food accumulation, cold abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cold dysentery and other diseases. In ancient China, pepper was used to treat diseases very early, and a large number of related documents appeared after the Song Dynasty. But it must be reminded that for people with yin deficiency, pepper can be used less or not, because it will increase heat. In addition, pregnant women should also use pepper with caution.
In this Bak Kut Teh, some recipes also add traditional Chinese medicines such as angelica root and tangerine peel. This is also possible, especially tangerine peel, which has the effect of promoting qi and removing dampness. You can add a little when making the soup, and the effect will be better.
Ok dear friends, today I will introduce this delicacy suitable for hot and humid weather. If you have the opportunity to go to Singapore, you can taste the various flavors of Bak Kut Teh. In addition, I am also surprised that it is so delicious. , why do so few people open stores in mainland China? In fact, it’s more suitable for the climate in southern China? In addition, in restaurants in Singapore, when you order drinks, there will always be barley water, which is very popular for dispelling dampness. In the cafeteria of Nanyang Technological University, I saw drinks made of this water. Such a good health drink seems to be rarely seen here. It seems that the popularization of our own traditional Chinese medicine concept and the process of productization need to work hard!
