Pin Xiang Bak Kut Teh: Malaysia-style claypot Bak Kut Teh in the heart of Geylang
Having recently written about Charcoal Claypot Hotpot and Cheesy Claypot Pasta, it almost seemed that Claypot Bak Kut Teh was inevitable for me. Tucked away in Kim San Leng Food Centre in Geylang, you will find Pin Xiang Bak Kut Teh serving authentic Malaysian-style Claypot Bak Kut Teh.
Former hotel chefs and now business partners, Xiong & Heng started Pin Xiang Bak Kut Teh in Jun 2024. This venture started when Heng decided to cook his late father’s recipe for his colleagues. After savouring the food, Xiong felt like he was in Malaysia and that the dish truly possessed authentic Malaysian flavours.
Xiong realised this could be a big hit, and not long after, he approached Heng to start Pin Xiang Bak Kut Teh.
Pin Xiang Bak Kut Teh uses the Heng family recipe. It was created by his father, who used to run a humble Bak Kut Teh stall in Ipoh. Heng’s family moved back to Singapore after his father passed on.
Xiong and Heng wanted to keep the Ipoh spirit and flavours running through their dishes whilst putting their own twist on them.
What I had at Pin Xiang Bak Kut Teh
As I approached the stall with my dining partners, what we were amazed by was their humble menu of 12 items. Also displayed are jars of Pin Xiang Bak Kut Teh’s dry herbs, some of which I’ve never seen before (more on that later).
Fully aware that some customers don’t enjoy certain ingredients such as pork stomach or liver, Xiong and Heng have created something unique. To the left of the stall, I saw a mala-style station where customers can customise their ingredients for their Bak Kut Teh, starting at S$2.30 per 100 grams.
We were presented with a wide variety of their signature dishes starting with the large Bak Kut Teh Soup (S$16). For those with smaller appetites, don’t worry— there is a small portion at S$8 too. Packed to the brim, the claypot contained tofu, enoki mushrooms, tofu skin, pork belly, cabbage and pork ribs.
My first order of business was the herbal broth. The first sip contained beautiful notes of Chinese herbs that lightly danced on my tastebuds. The pork rib was incredibly flaky but surprisingly didn’t soak up the broth as much as I had hoped. The tofu, however, did indeed do so as with every bite, I got a burst of the broth that complemented the silkiness of the tofu well.
Their next signature dish we sampled was the Dry Bak Kut Teh (S$10). I was unaware that dry bak kut teh even existed but Xiong and Heng explained it’s common in Malaysia.
My dining partners and I each had our favourite dishes, and this was one of them. The thick sauce was immensely sweet and rich to the point I couldn’t stop licking the pork ribs even cleaner. To pair, there was also okra, onions, scallions and slices of pork belly.
Taking a bite of the pork ribs, I was hit with an intense umami wave, which I realised was from the topping. What I initially assumed was Maggi noodles from its appearance was actually thinly sliced cuttlefish.
Before dining, Xiong and Heng took me to the engine room to explain how their dry and soup bak kut tehs are created. Tucked away in the corner of the kitchen, I saw a huge pot which is a pretty familiar site to me. As I had guessed, Xiong explained that this was their bak kut teh soup.
Taking you back to the dry herbs I saw at the front of the store, they get precisely weighed out and simmer overnight for the bak kut teh dishes.
The dry bak kut teh goes through a slightly different process. The pork ribs are added to the pot and simmered overnight. Come morning, it is coated with their homemade dark soy & oyster sauce marinade which was the thick, rich sauce I tasted earlier.
The next few dishes we had were their Black Vinegar Pork Trotter (S$8) and Braised Pork Belly (S$8). One of my dining partners and I agreed that the soft and tender pork trotter vinegar marinade was slightly overpowering. However, my other dining partner disagreed, stating that it was perfect. Each to their taste.
The braised pork belly was one of our other favourite dishes as it was incredibly fatty and tender. Using a different measurement of the dry herbs, it is also simmered overnight. Along with its melt-in-your-mouth character, it contained a very stringy texture which made for the perfect bite with the sweet sauce.
Our last dish, Fried Chicken Whole Leg (S$5) surprisingly turned out to be another favourite. The crispy golden skin and the tender meat were something you do not taste in your regular chicken shop.
This was paired with a fragrant rub which Xiong and Heng explained was a complex mixture of toasted Szechuan, white and black pepper, along with salt and sesame seeds. I could not stop eating this rub. I even put some on the pork ribs from the soup bak kut teh, and to my surprise, it worked so well!
Final thoughts
The area of Geylang is undoubtedly one of Singapore’s most exciting food scenes and Pin Xiang Bak Kut Teh fits right in!
If you are looking to experience authentic Malaysian bak kut teh without the flight ticket, this is the place to be. For easties like myself, this hidden gem is one to return to!
Expected Damage: S$10 – S$20 per pax
The post Pin Xiang Bak Kut Teh: Malaysia-style claypot Bak Kut Teh in the heart of Geylang appeared first on SETHLUI.com.
