Nuts about lei cha? Check out these five eateries

Lei cha in Restoran Gembira in Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya.

THE healthy eating trend has been growing over the years, but most people find it too expensive.

One affordable dish that never fails to satisfy is the traditional Hakka lei cha rice, also known as “thunder tea rice”.

It is not easily found but lately, more eateries and hawker stalls are selling it around the Klang Valley.

This traditional dish used to be a poor man’s meal where people in the olden days would put together a few herbs and grains during days when food was scarce.

The concoction of ingredients allowed them to lead a healthy life.

Over the years, the grains and herbs evolved to include more vegetables and nuts.

What makes this dish special and healthy is the green broth, which has flavours of green tea and mint.

The sound of herbs being pounded for this dish is how the name “thunder tea rice” came about.

Below are five eateries that offer this unique, traditional dish.

 

Restoran Gembira

39, Jalan SS 24/8, Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya

This stall is worth a try, although parking can be a problem.

Other than lei cha, there are other vegetarian options.

Customers can choose either brown or white rice, and the dish comes with eight side dishes including a big bowl of dark green soup.

Do not be fooled by the dark green colour. The soup is subtle, yet fragrant.

As it is always served on a plate, it may be hard to drench the vegetables with the soup.

My advice is to mix the soup with the sides as you eat it, so you can taste everything.

This shop opens from 7am to 2pm (or until the food runs out) and is closed every second Monday of the month.

 

The lei cha served at DG Food Court in Puchong.

 

DG Food Court

Jalan Wawasan 2/23, Pusat Bandar Puchong, Puchong

This place was recommended by a friend as it is her favourite lei cha stall.

Topped with ingredients like dried shallots, cucumber slices and sesame seeds, the mixture with other preserved vegetables and fresh greens complement each other.

Here, you can find the vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions of the dish.

There was not much difference in flavour in both options.

We did not taste any meat in the non-vegetarian version, but we suspected that dried prawns were used.

The soup was moderately minty and easy to drink.

This stall is open from 10am onwards (or until the food runs out). It is closed two Thursdays in a month (no fixed Thursday).

 

A bowl of lei cha at Judy’s Hakka Lei Cha and Cuisines.

 

Judy’s Hakka Lei Cha and Cuisines

The Starling Mall, Foodie’s Nest Level 3, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Uptown, Petaling Jaya.

This was a rare find in Starling Mall’s food court.

I chose the brown rice option through the small window where I could see a table filled with fresh herbs and greens.

The green soup and rice did not disappoint as the vegetables were fresh and sweet.

The soup had fine chunks of herbs.

It was so tasty that I could not stop drinking the green soup.

It is a bit pricey compared to other hawker stalls that offer lei cha, but the quality of the ingredients made it worth the money.

The stall is open daily from 10am to 10pm. The stall has other traditional Hakka dishes all day long.

 

Big Big Bowl Cafe’s lei cha.

 

Big Big Bowl Cafe Jalan Desa 2/7, Desa Aman Puri, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur

The lei cha here comes with brown rice, white rice, without rice and pan mee noodles.

If you like a strong, minty lei cha soup flavour, this is a must-try, but the thick green soup was too pungent for me.

Scattered with the regular vegetables and peanuts, I ended up eating only a few spoonfuls of the soup as it was too minty.

You can have lei cha pan mee with green lei cha broth.

The stall is open every day from 8.30am to 9pm.

 

Soon Lee Coffee Shop is the place to go to for lei cha in Petaling Jaya Old Town.

 

Restoran Soon Lee Coffee Shop

39, Jalan 1/19, Pj Old Town, Petaling Jaya

What makes this stall unique is the serving of sauteed onions and small dried prawns to give the dish a flavour boost.

It also comes with four angled beans and thinly sliced leeks.

The ingredients are not neatly arranged like the others, but the taste makes up for the lack of visual appeal.

It is served in a bowl so you can mix everything and enjoy.

The soup is mildly minty, just the way we like it. The rice and vegetables are tasty on their own as well.

Only white rice is available on weekends, while brown rice is available on weekdays.

This stall is open every day from 9.30am to 2.30pm except Mondays.