As one of the pioneers of this now-famous dish, Mr Ng Siak Hai’s(Nickname: Ng Ah Sio’s) father – Mr Ng Mui Song, began plying the pork-based, peppery herbal soup cooked in a distinct Teochew style in the 1950s at he current River Valley and Hill Street vicinity. These early servings of the Bak Kut Teh was accompanied by Chinese doughnuts (You Tiao) and a strong brew of Chinese tea and there was no chilli and soya sauce dips. One of the common beliefs of the origins of Bak Kut Teh is rooted in the early days of the Republic’s founding where large numbers of young men migrated from China to works as coolies at the godowns by the historic Singapore River. As their jobs involved much physical hardship and their meagre salaries could ill-afford the luxury of meat then, they used the bones of pork to brew their soups as a form of nourishment.