The best people to ask are the elderly folks of course. And they will tell you that you can usually eat trotters at stalls selling Teochew food. Some of the best trotters that I have ever eaten were in Thailand where there are lots of Teochews. But back home there has not been a trotter that has come close to those in Thailand. But the trotters at this particular comes pretty close. The beauty of trotters lie in its slimy texture which comes from all the tendons which gelatinize after prolong cooking. There is, of course, a lot of fats and I wouldn't advise you to eat all the fat especially if you have just undergone cardiac bypass. So which is the fat and which is the anti-aging collagen? Well, if we work our way from the skin surface downwards, the outermost layer is basically keratin, then just below that brown coloured layer is a clear layer which is connective tissue. Below that is where you find the subcutaneous fat. After that is where you find the tendons and the meat, then the bone. Of course, champion trotter fanciers would baulk at the idea of throwing out all that luscious fat, but for me I like to enjoy that slimy sticky gelatin with a clear conscience. The Aunty here is 70 plus years old and she claims that she looks young because he eats her own Ter Kah regularly. It helps when you have a hawker that loves to eat their own food. She pressure cooks her Ter Kah for one and a half hours and the result is a trotter that is sublimely slimy and a sticky soy and herb braising sauce. Straightforward no nonsense Bak K*t Teh with a well balanced soup and meat that is wonderfully tender. The Ter Kah here is a dish you would not want to miss! Tiong Bee Bah K*k Teh
588F Jalan Datoh,
Off Balestier Road,
Singapore 329899
7am to 5pm
