Photography by Matyen

Before Chinese New Year arrives, one can feel the preparations coming alive as the energetic spirit fills many cities and towns of Singapore and Malaysia. Lion dances pop up at street crossings, shop fronts are adorned with bright red and gold banners of lunar new year, and the smell of bak kwa floats through the air. Among all the Chinese New Year goodies that people consume during the Chinese New Year period, none is more revered than the bak kwa known also as rou gan. This thin, flat piece of roasted pork may well be considered the emperor of all CNY snacks because, in terms of tradition, one cannot get more traditional than this classic. 

A Flavorful Tradition

Bak kwa in its origin is a Hokkien snack and was consumed at any festive occasion or wedding banquet in any event within the Hokkien community. But over the decades it crossed the dialect divide and became a sweet that is linked very closely to the celebration of Chinese New Year. These have now become a regular feature to be consumed during Reunion dinners and home visit during the first few days of the Chinese New Year among Chinese families. Non-Chinese have learned to relate this aromatic, caramelised pork to the most important Chinese festival.

It is uncertain when bak kwa was first made, but the most likely story is that Chinese migrant ancestors from the southern Fujian province introduced the food item to Southeast Asia centuries ago. The bak kwa of today is not the same however – it has been modified to fit the local taste buds. It lacks the fat and sugar content,” he adds “But it has spices and soy sauce – the kind of flavours that people from Singapore and Malaysia enjoy and which can be related to Chinese New Year.

Making Mouthwatering Bak Kwa 

Prepared a bak kwa is not a joke at all. The selections of meat are strictly premium pork cuts with right trim and fat for the best caramelization and tenderness in the final product. Due to this, the bak kwa maker needs to be very keen when it comes to designing cuts that will contain an appropriate portion of fats and meats. These pork slices are then marinated in a sweet sauce comprising of sugar and spices and may take several hours. When the meat has soaked in the impartation of flavors in this sauce then it is fit for the process of air drying. Refining the preparation of water on the surface of food items is vital turning into flare and not stew during roasting process.

The other step, the roasting, is where years of experience and skill come into play. These pork slices are suspended on hooks connected to movable racks with workers carefully roasting them in these large cylindrical barbeque pits. To make sure that both sides of the bak kwa are equally crisp and golden brown in colour, the engineers have to rotate the product manually from time to time. Temperature and timing also has a great influence as well. High heat cooks the bak kwa quickly, evaporating moisture away from the fats and connective tissue; lower heats keep the bak kwa succulent on the inside while frosting the outside a lovely dark brown. A professional bak kwa maker understands exactly the right time to take the batch out – crispy but not overly burnt to emit a bitter taste.

Driving change forward by transferring generation-old competencies  

Part of the joy of eating bak kwa too is watching the old time masters of this craft mentor their apprentices to the point where those apprentices can become masters as well. Lovers of bak kwa know some of the shops have been in operation for several years but the recipes and the process of making bak kwa are tightly guarded especially as they are passed down from one generation to another. Their stores attracts customers like a pilgrimage center every year and helps them to get original products.

Shop such as Lim Chee Guan at New Bridge Road are also operated across the generations with Lim Chee Guan having started since 1938 and is run now by third generation Lim brothers. Chinatown’s Eng’s Char Siew sells their sweet bak kwa barbecued over charcoal pit. Kim Joo Guan beside South Bridge Roadkin to 1949 Kim Tian Bak Kwa, closed but now revived with the help of grandson Kim Tee. This is an unbroken sequence of not only recipes, but of refining the dish, and such perfection is, indeed, carried from one Lunar New Year celebration to the next.

Sustaining Generational Trends  

But relying purely on this group of consumers is not sufficient for bak kwa shops any longer. In this event as F&B business becomes more competitive, they now have a broader target market. The Old Guard is convinced that there is nothing quite like the old-style bak kwa made with less sugar and meat that is not clogged with fats, while the younger Singaporeans and Malaysians who were weaned on fast food and handy pies want their slices of bak kwa thick and juicy with a thick coat of caramelised sugar glaze. Shops now produce bak kwa in various new flavours, some of them less sweet, and varied thickness in accordance withthesupposed split in generation’s taste bud.

Secondly, the popularity of Bak kwa is also due to the producers using technology to store and sell food safely and on a larger scale. In the past when people did not have refrigeration, vacuum packing made bak kwa last for weeks instead of merely days. E-commerce has made it easy for shops to make their products easily accessible to customers across the globe. Handy packs allows the kids to have it with them and snack at anyway any time. движениями налетӓм bak kwa by air to satisfy people who cannot go back to Singapore during Chinese New Year and enjoy Singaporean flavours. 

This innovation ensures that bak kwa remains relevant during CNY celebrations as functions and_events change to fit the contempo_|ar lifestyles and preference. The fact that bak kwa can be frozen makes it easier for families who do not have the time and spare the energy to make it through the holidays to have access to frozen bak kwa to save them time for the long queues. Premium versions took it higher than just a fast food into a gourmet item that would fit nicely on a gift basket . Handy packs ensure the child gets to eat it as a snack even with both parents going to work. So long as bak kwa goes on to satisfy the different generational requirements most essentially, it will remain the king of all Chinese New Year treats.