, one of Malaysia’s most popular brands of bak kwa (or bakkwa), starts in the 1970s with a cup of orange juice.
“O Loi Ya! O Loi Ya!” (Here I come! Here I come!) is what a Taiwanese customer would shout every time he’d get an orange juice . Eventually, the two men became friends and Khue gave the secret of his orange juice, and in exchange, the customer shared his recipe for bak kwa.
Originally from China, – most often pork – that has been dried and grilled. The result is a sweet and salty glistening treat, packed with flavour.
After perfecting the recipe with his wife, Khue launched . The brand now has around 30 all over Malaysia, and is owned by a third generation of the Khue family. And since May, the company has opened its first shop outside of Malaysia, on Victoria Street in Melbourne’s Richmond.
The owners, Ben Chin and Xindii Hew, were both born in Malaysia, but grew up in Perth, before moving to Melbourne.
The team behind Melbourne's Oloiya sells bak kwa in a range of options (from standard packets to special personalised gift boxes). Source: Oloiya
“I wanted to play a part in making people feel home. This product is very familiar and nostalgic for Malaysians and South-East Asians. It’s something you eat during festivals and when you’re young. When you’re a child, your parents take you to the shops and ask you if you’d like to have bak kwa,” says Hew.
“Australians grow up eating lollies like Freddo Frogs. Bak kwa is the same for us.”
In Malaysia and Singapore, bak kwa is eaten all year round, but is especially popular as a present to wish luck and prosperity during Chinese New Year.
The bak kwa you find at Oloiya in Melbourne is made there, with Australian pork and no offcuts. The preparation takes several days, starting with marinating the meat in a mixture of honey, sugar, fish gravy and salt. The pork is then dried in an oven and grilled on an infrared barbecue. “It’s important for the bak kwa artisans that they grill it perfectly because it’s how the sugar caramelises and the flavours are captured. It’s the most important part,” explains Chin.
Australians grow up eating lollies like Freddo Frogs. Bak kwa is the same for us.
In Melbourne, Oloiya sells the regular bak kwa, which is jerky-like, as well as the gold coin bak kwa, which is made with ground pork so it’s softer and juicier. Grilled fresh every day, bak kwa can be bought by weight or by the piece.
Oloiya may have a larger range of bak kwa (including beef, chicken, and seafood) in Malaysia, but the Melbourne shop boasts exclusive dishes.
“When we created the menu, our mission was to make bak kwa more relatable to the Australian market. We thought that if we just offered it by itself, some people might not try it. But if we serve it in brioche or croissant, they might want to try it because it’s something they know,” says Chin.
The bak kwa is sandwiched into the signature toast (with pork floss, egg, cucumber and sauce), but also sliders and even a croissant (with sliced cheddar), for a take on the ham and cheese combo.
This winter, you can also have your bak kwa in a comforting bowl of , with the option to go all-in and also add pork floss and youtiao (fried breadsticks).
When we created the menu, our mission was to make bak kwa more relatable to the Australian market. We thought that if we just offered it by itself, some people might not try it. But if we serve it in brioche or croissant, they might want to try it because it’s something they know.
“In Malaysia, parents buy it to make breakfast for the kids and they put it in sandwiches for school. You can just have it by itself as a snack, during the festive season and the rest of the year,” says Chin.
By bringing Oloiya to Melbourne, Chin and Hew would love for bak kwa to become part of Australians’ vocabulary. “With dishes like or , everyone just uses the original name, so we’d like it to be the same for bak kwa,” says Hew.
188 Victoria Street, Richmond VIC
Daily 10 am – 7 pm
More via Malaysia
This kitchen is a love letter to Malaysian ayam bakar
