Time Out Taste Test Memoir

Prototype plating of bak kut teh (pork bone tea) w Chinese style fried bread (yu cha kueh)

I knew it would be a love/hate dish; I know not everyone is a fan of those Chinese herbs. I never planned to win (although I would be lying if I said it wasn’t wishful thinking). However, I did set out to introduce and represent a classic dish from my native Malaysian Chinese culture to the best of my ability. So when I was invited to participate alongside apprentices from hatted restaurants around Sydney like Marque, Quay and Est – I knew I had to bring my A-game.

Never having been a cooking competition, nor worked in any hatted restaurants – I felt a little out of my league. Also, not having cooked Bak Kut Teh for more than 8 people was also a minor discomfort; but many days and night of practice would ensure getting it right on the day. It would also ensure that I would not want to eat bak kut teh for months after.

Where can I put my 50L stockpot?

The event was hosted at Bistro CBD, a quaint little kitchen with an impressive walk-in coolroom (much more spacious then the ones I’m used to). They also don’t have the big stockpots and strainers I’m used to having in abundance in an asian restaurant; I guessed as much and brought my own equipment just in case.

Now cooking a dish for 96 people in one go is no easy feat, especially considering the following:

• the kitchen is tiny, and there are 11 chefs in it; 6 competing chefs fighting for space/cooktops/pots
• there are not enough plates for all 96 people, so plating will be different for each table. Keeping warm bowls when there weren’t enough even for the previous contestant was especially tough!
• Portioning is a real skill – I reckon @smokeystevenson (Victor Leong; Marque) could have won if he just bought another 3 logs of venison!

This is where the Est. guys had the advantage; knowing the location and planning on how to pop out these portions with ease – their experience in Merivale banquet events really showed, and I learnt a lot from just watching.

At the end of the day, I did end up overcooking my osso bucco; but put out the best tasting bak kut teh broth I have ever made in my life: Porky, herby and most importantly, balanced – you could be full just drinking the soup!
@merivalechefs tweeted photo of my Bak Kut Teh w Chinese style fried bread

After serving the dish, I had to make a speech. I’m no good at public speaking, so I spoke a lot of bulls*it. To those who were there, this was what I was meant to say:

Bak Kut Teh (pork bone tea) is a classic Malaysian Chinese dish; it is balanced with 12 different herbs and spices, in which only 4 of them have pronounceable english names! The soup is the main star of this dish; have one taste and imagine the balance of all the herbs working against one another, balancing out the fattiness of the pork and the saltiness of the soy sauce. Each of these herbs have medicinal value that also balance out each other – the heatiness of the pork against some of the cooling herbs. Some are good for the liver, brain, kidneys, heart – who would have thought such a hearty pork dish is so healthy for you!

I believe that Australians are on a never-ending journey to discover the culinary world; in the past 10 years we have seen the introduction of ingredients like safrron, extra virgin olive oil, truffle oil, exotic cheeses, into the mainsteam market of Australian cooking. You can get these ingredients in your local supermarket!

In terms of Asian cooking, I think that a lot of Australians view it as the balance between sweet, hot and sour. Sechuan cooking is really taking off – its hot and numbing theatrics drawing crowds – But I believe there is more to Asian cooking than what we believe; there is more to discover – more than just a balance of flavours and stir fry. I have presented a dish to you that is a classic in my country, but unknown in this one; I hope you all keep seeking and trying new and different things. God bless you on your future culinary adventures.

*dramatic right? lol.

There was coverage on the night by threewisepigs! Will cook you more unknown Asian dishes anytime!

Bak kut teh recipe to come