Klang Bak Kut Teh

Bak kut teh means meat bone tea, and there is no tea in it: the name comes from the dark colour of the broth, which is pork ribs and other cuts simmered for hours with garlic, star anise, cinnamon, dang gui and other Chinese medicinal herbs until the meat falls off the bone. It is generally agreed to have been created in Klang, among Hokkien and Teochew labourers working the port, as a cheap restorative eaten at the start of a shift - which is why in Klang it is a breakfast, served from early morning, and why the shops there open at dawn and sell out by mid-morning. It comes in a clay pot with fried dough sticks to soak the broth, rice, and a dish of chopped garlic and chilli in soy. The dry version, braised in a thicker sauce, is a separate thing.

What you actually see

• A dark herbal broth - ribs simmered for hours with medicinal herbs.
• Breakfast timing - Klang shops open at dawn and sell out by mid-morning.
• Clay pot service - with dough sticks, rice and garlic chilli soy.
• Wet and dry versions - the soup and the thicker braised style.

When to go

All year; early morning, which is when Klang eats it. A meal.

Honest expectations

It contains pork and is not halal - the shops are Chinese and clearly signed. Popular places sell out well before lunch. Portions are large and the broth is heavy.

Nearby

Klang's heritage walk and Little India are in the same town.