As someone whose comfort food growing up was Hakka leicha (thunder/ground tea rice), I was appalled to find that no one had covered it in the Singapore best-rated series yet.
This time, we’ll be trying Thunderbolt Tea by Boon Lay Traditional Hakka Lui Cha in Paya Lebar (4.6 stars, 213 Google reviews). It’s a peaceful eatery located under an HDB block.
The excuse I hear the most from people who hate leicha is that it’s all vegetables, and hence not good. I beg to differ— this dish comes in variations with shrimp or ikan bilis, and most places also offer Hakka yong tau foo (meat-stuffed tofu) as a side dish.
Regardless, it’s insane how so many assume it’s bland just because it’s full of greens!
Thunderbolt Tea claims it serves the best thunder tea rice in Singapore. The sign at its counter proudly states that it has a “2000-year-old culture, 100-year-old recipe, no MSG, high fibre, less salt“, and “less oil”. The vendor also informed me that the original stall, Boon Lay Traditional Hakka Lui Cha in Boon Lay Place, sells the same fare with the same recipe.
What I tried at Thunderbolt Tea
Now, it was time to find out if Thunderbolt Tea was worth travelling an hour to the East for.
For S$4.50, the portion of the White Rice Thunder Tea was humongous. There’s also a Brown Rice version of the dish for S$5 if you want a healthier option. One “green flag” that I noticed was that my dish was, well, green and packed with so many vegetables that the rice wasn’t visible.
Thunderbolt Tea claims its leicha provides beneficial vitamins and antioxidants with every bite. There was a decent ingredient variety consisting of white cabbage, long beans, firm tofu, leek, sayur manis (sweet leaf) and chye poh. You can help yourself to peanuts from the counter.
When mixed, the vegetables created an addictive medley of textures and flavours. The softness of the tofu and dark green leaves, the sweet crunch of the peanuts and cabbage, the umami from the dried shrimp and the saltiness of the chye poh left me in awe. The beautifully steamed white rice was also fluffy and fragrant even on its own, though it tasted even better combined with the other ingredients.
Halfway through my munching, I realised I had mixed in and eaten the chye poh before I managed to take a photo of it. Sheepishly, I returned to Thunderbolt Tea’s counter for a top-up (because why not?). Imagine my shock when the uncle wordlessly dumped a generous heap of preserved radish onto my remaining rice without charging me extra!
It was pleasantly not too salty, with a slight sweetness and a light crunch. Eating this with the rice made it incredibly delectable, and I gobbled up the lot.
While mostly velvety smooth, there were rough bits of ground sesame seeds and peanuts in the vibrant green tea soup. On its own, the broth had a herbal flavour with hints of basil and coriander accompanying the nuttiness. It wasn’t as gao as I would’ve liked, but it was overall a delicious soup, and I made a mental note to ask for less water for my tea paste if I ever were to drop by again.
The tea soup can be eaten in 2 ways: either on its own or poured straight into the rice. My favourite method is having it on the side, but also infusing every other bite with the broth for that perfect balance. This way, the rice remains nicely al dente without getting soggy from soaking up the liquid, yet carry the tea’s aromatic flavour.
I’d spotted the Hakka Crispy Pork (S$2) and Yong Tau Foo (S$1.50) on the ingredient trays and couldn’t resist ordering some. Their golden-brown hues were irresistible, and they looked mouth-wateringly crispy.
There’s nothing like a good stuffed tofu to go with leicha. The savoury flavour of the juicy minced meat and tofu paired well with the refreshing and herbal dish. Meanwhile, the fried crispy pork was incredibly addictive despite being fatty and somewhat greasy; its rich, meaty flavour kept me hooked as I shovelled down one piece after another.
Final Thoughts
Who said veggies can’t be delicious? Thunderbolt Tea disproved the (already very untrue) claim with a high-quality dish and wonderful flavours. My only bone to pick? The soup, which was slightly too diluted for my liking. In hindsight, though, I could have avoided that by asking for less water with my paste.
The S$4.50 dish was more than enough for a person and definitely worth its price. It also had a satisfactory ratio of vegetables to rice, even before I got the extra chye poh. While the fried pork may have been fatty, the sinfulness was balanced out by the fresh vegetables in the main dish and the herbal soup.
Would I come back for this leicha despite the somewhat inconvenient location? For sure, but I’d give Boon Lay Traditional Hakka Lui Cha in the West a shot, too! Thunderbolt Tea has a delivery service available on its website to make fulfilling those cravings easier, though nothing beats having it served right at the stall.
Expected Damage: S$4.50 – S$8 per pax
Price: $
Our Rating: 4.5 / 5
Thunderbolt Tea by Boon Lay Traditional Hakka Lui Cha
129 Geylang East Avenue 2, #01-100, Singapore 380129
Thunderbolt Tea by Boon Lay Traditional Hakka Lui Cha
129 Geylang East Avenue 2, #01-100, Singapore 380129
