There are numerous variants of
bak kut teh with its cooking style closely influenced by the prevailing Chinese enclave of a certain geographical location. There are three main types of
bak kut teh. • The
Teochew style, which is light in colour but uses more
pepper and garlic in the soup. • The
Hoklo (Hokkien), uses a variety of herbs and soy sauce creating a more fragrant, textured and darker soup. • The
Cantonese, with a soup-drinking culture (
Canton cuisine), add medicinal herbs as well to create a stronger flavoured soup. The main visual difference between the Hokkien and Teochew version of
bak kut teh is that the Hokkiens use more dark soy sauce and thus the soup base is characteristically darker in colour. In addition, a dry form of
bak kut teh has also recently become increasingly popular within Malaysia, especially in Klang town. Although called
dry, the broth is in fact reduced to a thicker gravy, to which other ingredients such as wolfberries, dried dates, dried chillies and dried squid are added. Unlike the original rib soup, the dry version has a tangier, sharper taste and is more akin to a herbal stew than the classical broth. It is often recommended locally in Malaysia as an excellent hangover cure. In Malaysia, a less fatty variation of
bak kut teh made with chicken is called
chik kut teh. It also serves as a
halal version of the dish catered to
Muslims, whose religion
forbids them to consume pork. Bak kut is popular among the
Chinese Indonesian community in the
Riau Islands,
Indonesia. Vegetarian bak kut also can be found in
Malaysia. Instead of using meat, oyster mushroom is used. ==Malaysian national record==