Heng Bak Kut Teh at Kepong

Heng ah! I was introduced to this awesome Bak Kut Teh

For those of you that don't know, Heng in teochiew means Lucky. Why do I say I'm lucky? Well, a friend introduced me to this place for a makan session; Bak Kut Teh(BKT). Sure there are many popular BKT restaurant around but HENG BKT is really unique and I'm here to share with you today.

Heng BKT may be new in Kepong area BUT definitely not new in BKT business. Their BKT and recipe has been around since 1963! You probably noticed that some BKT restaurants carry the "HENG" name as well. That is because their recipe originated from the Heng Bak Kut Teh Delights. Many have misjudged Heng BKT for being arrogant because of this. The story is, its because there are many "students" who yearn to learn the secret behind their BKT recipe. Uncle Billy was explaining to us the story of Bak Kut Teh and the Heng Family.

When people mention Bak Kut Teh, most people would say Klang would have some of the best Bak Kut Teh. True to some degree but do you know WHY at Klang? It was because fishermen and the people working at the Port needed a meal which would sustain them throughout the day. The only downside to BKT is that the meal itself is "heaty". The Heng Family wanted to enjoy BKT daily and so they started experimenting BKT with different recipes. They were trying to create a healthier way of eating Bak Kut Teh.

Day by day, the Heng family would cook their BKT for themselves but as the BKT's aroma was aromatically strong, neighbors started to notice what was going on. After 3 years of trial and error as well as "BKT sampling" by their neighbors, Heng Bak Kut Teh Delights was born in 1963.

So there you have it, a short story of BKT and how the Heng Family started it all.

Marcky and I were the first to arrive at the place. We got to know Anderson, 1 of the peeps running Heng BKT Delights. We chatted for a bit before being served some Youtio (Oil Fry Stick), Tou pok (Fried Tofu) soaked in the BKT soup, and a bowl of soup(from the BKT).

Fragrant Youtio

Tau Pok with BKT soup

Special guest of the night; Diva :P

Unintentional shot: I was testing if the flash would trigger Marcky's Nikon SB600.  Didn't even look at the view finder :D Turned out pretty cool right?

Lou Keok Wan (Dark Sauce Pork Knuckle)

These are NOT pork fats. Its actually the pork knuckle's ligament and tendons.  Many people mistaken it for fats not knowing how delicious these are. The texture of these ligaments and tendons does resembles pork fats but the taste says otherwise. If I'm not mistaken, they are also good for joints.

Chee Keok Chou (Pork knuckle in black vinegar)

In teochiew, it is called "Te Ka Or Cho". "Te Ka" means pork knuckle and "Or Cho" means vinegar. A popular traditional dish for ladies during their confinement period because it nourishes the body. I remember my mum saying that the best time to have te ka or cho is after the pork knuckles have softened up enough; which is to leave them in the pot to a boil and then letting them soak in the vinegar soup for a few more hours with the fire turned off. True enough, at Heng's BKT, they also practice the same principal. They may have prepared a large pot of Chee Keok Chou but they will not sell it until a day later.

Wong Chau Kai (Yellow Rice Wine Chicken)

Wong Chau Kai (Yellow Rice Wine Chicken)

This is just heavenly. Not many places can prepare this dish with enough kick of rice wine and ginger. The one over here feels very homely. This is also a popular dish for ladies during their confinement period but many still enjoy this dish at any time. Even before tasting the soup, you can tell that it is rich with rice wine and ginger flavors because the soup's strong aroma. One sip of the soup you'll have a rushing sensation of sweet and "spicy" flavors. The "spiciness" I'm talking about here would be coming from the ginger. Fresh Kampung chicken cooked in sweet rice wine coupled with pungent ginger aroma was just delicious. It may be a little strong for some because of the ginger used but as soon as the flavors settles down, you're in for a treat.

Wong Chow Chee Yu (Yellow rice wine with pig's kidney)

Uh, okay I did not try the kidney but I did try the soup. It tasted sweet, like a carbonated drink without the gas. It was just weird. I guess I should have tried the kidney for the sake of trying :(

Woo Tau Fan (Yam Rice)

Kam Kua Fan (Pumpkin Rice)

At Heng BKT Delights, they do not serve the typical Yau Fan (oily rice) that you find at any other BKT restaurants. Instead, they have yam and pumpkin rice which is really really really really fragrant. Really! At Heng, freshness is one of their top priority so don't be surprised if they do not have the yam or pumpkin rice on certain days as it might due to the lack of freshness of the ingredients. Apart from the fresh yam and pumpkin, they also cook them with a generous amount of dry prawns! Like any of their previous dishes above, it feels very homely with all the fresh ingredients and cooking style.

Wholesome food

Here is a tip from you guys; Make sure you put some of the pork knuckle in Black vinegar's gravy into any of these rice. The pumpkin rice is sold at just RM2 a bowl while the yam rice is RM2.50. Its seriously a steal for these hearty bowls of rice and it is a SIN if you do not order these!

Sheen Lat Choy (Sour Spicy Veggie)

Okay I'll be honest here. I'm not a big fan of these veggie dish but I do take abit of them. Tasted okay, I just don't fancy them. I know people who LOVES this to bits and they can actually finish the entire serving on their own. Amazing.

Woo Chew Shee Tou Tong (Pepper pork intestinal soup)

One of the popular dishes around but many are worried because it can taste and smell bad if it is not cleaned properly. Uncle Billy told us that the intestines are washed properly even by turning them inside out. I'll keep it simple: Soup - Spicy hot!(Thanks to all the pepper). Intestines - Good texture, crunchy, springy and no weird/bad odor! Although the soup is quite spicy, it makes you wanna carry on drinking it because its that good. The spicy sensation around your throat is just momentarily so don't worry about it.

Wait a minute? I've been talking so much about everything else but where the heck is the Bak Kut Teh?

Chill la bro, its coming.

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Soon, I promise.

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Ok la. 

Bak Kut Teh!

I was kinda surprised that the soup is a clear base type of soup because most places are darker. As the bak kut teh was being stirred by another fellow foodie, I could smell the fragrant aroma of the bak kut teh. The soup tasted very light but yet it has all the flavors from all the herbs and pork. There are about 20 different type of herbs used and mind you, GOOD QUALITY herbs. Despite all the herbs used, it doesn't well...taste too herbally? The flavors are very well balanced. Natural sweetness of the pork comes into play here.

Here comes the best part. Even after drinking the entire soup in the clay pot, I wasn't thirsty. Yeah, I bolded that entire sentence on purpose. The rest who were there that night noticed it too. That is because Heng BKT has taken that extra mile to share with us a healthy bak kut teh meal by using good high quality herbs and fresh pork; extremely little MSG was used.

The BKT we had that night was BKT with ribs. You can have your choice of pork parts for your BKT. Uncle Billy was explaining to us that the pork that they use has to be very fresh because it will affect the overall taste of the BKT broth. Although its unrelated but we learned how to check freshness of the pork! How? After you have washed the pork with water and use your hand to feel the skin/surface. If the pork feels smooth/slimy, it means its not fresh.

The ribs you see here was also selected specifically for BKT because out of the entire rib cage of the pig, only the center section of the rib cage are perfect for BKT. Unwanted fats are also removed from the ribs and that is why ribs looks lean in the picture.

Lovely delicious ribs.

After finishing our meal, Uncle Billy was telling us how to really savor the taste of BKT.  Normally people would drink the soup or eat the meat before anything else. There is nothing wrong with that but he was explaining that we might not be enjoying the taste to its fullest potential. Why? Before going to any BKT restaurant, we might have ate something, drank something or even having a cigarette earlier. This actually affects your taste buds. So what do we do? Simple. As guided by Uncle Billy, as the rice and BKT are served, take a spoonful of white rice and eat it on its own. This helps to neutralize whatever flavors that was still lingering around from previous meal and what not. Next, take the spoonful of the BKT's soup and smell it's aroma like how one would smell a glass of red wine. I felt hungry again after hearing all these (FML). My mind said "EAT!" but my stomach was saying "Insufficient space".

Last but not least, thanks Anderson and Billy ( whops, I think I said Uncle Billy earlier) for the great hospitality. Also not forgetting Evelyn for organizing the makan session for us. Not only did I enjoy the meal, I learned some new stuff about BKT.

We(the makan gang) were caught in action. Check it out over here.

Like I said, this is not a food review but the food really speaks out for itself. Do check out the place because you do not want to miss out on this awesome BKT.

Feel free to contact Anderson or Billy for any enquiries. Here are the details on how to get to Heng Bak Kut Teh Delights as well as contact numbers.

Blog:
http://hengbkt.blogspot.com/

Address:
Heng Bak Kut Teh Delights
No 622, Jalan 20, Rumah Panjang,
Off Jalan Kuang Gunung,
Taman Kepong,
Kepong.

Operation Hours:
Monday till Sunday EXCEPT Wednesday. Opens at 7.00am till 3.00pm / 6.00pm till 1.00am

Contact No:
Anderson - 019 208 0720
Billy - 016 332 8003