Basil thunder tea rice (lei cha)!
Hakka vegetarian basil thunder tea rice (擂茶) — herb-and-nut paste poured over rice with chopped vegetables. Lockdown delivery healthy lunch.
Friday circuit-breaker lunch — went for the thunder tea rice (擂茶 / lei cha) delivery for a change of pace from the usual cai png or Western takeaway rotation. The Hakka-vegetarian dish is one of Singapore’s quieter healthy lunches.
We ordered:
- Basil thunder tea rice (lei cha) — vegetarian
Lei cha is the Hakka tradition where Tea + herbs + nuts are pestle-and-mortared into a thick green paste, which is then poured over a bowl of rice topped with finely chopped vegetables. The name “thunder tea” comes from the rolling sound of the mortar grinding the herbs. Traditionally a peasant dish, now reframed as a hipster healthy bowl.
The basil version uses Thai basil as the dominant herb, alongside mint, cilantro, peanuts, green tea leaves, sesame seeds and various other green leaves. Ground together into a vibrant, slightly bitter, herbaceous broth.
The bowl arrived with:
- Brown rice base
- Chopped vegetables on top: long beans, leek, preserved radish, peanuts, tofu cubes, blanched leafy greens
- A separate cup of the hot green herb broth (the lei cha itself)
The eating ritual is the pour. You wait until you’re ready to eat, then pour the green broth over the rice and vegetables. The aroma off the herb broth hits first — basil, mint, tea, ground sesame. The taste is herbaceous, slightly bitter from the tea leaves, savoury from the salt and peanut.
Each spoonful combines rice, herbs, broth, and the chopped vegetables for a different texture mix. The dish is supposed to be cleansing and energy-restoring, and it lives up to that reputation.
Vegetarian, full of greens, surprisingly filling.
Overall: 4.5 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Excellent thunder tea rice — would re-order during lockdown rotation.
