* Some of the establishments / dishes below are not halal.
Some loathe while others love lei-cha for its healthful, herbaceous goodness. Actually, if done right, humble ingredients like Chinese tea leaves (green tea, oolong, what have you), fresh herbs (such as Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, and cilantro), as well as nuts and seeds (peanuts, sesame seeds) can blend harmoniously to give you a gorgeous green, zesty, savory potion with restorative properties.
Serve this with steamed rice and light sides consisting of dainty dices of tau kwa, chai poh, yard-long beans, kai-lan, leeks, and roasted peanuts. Now, that’s deliciousness at its simplest and healthiest!
Here are our five favorite lei-cha in town. Don’t turn away until you’ve tasted them — if you never try, you’ll never know. (Click on the restaurant names for addresses and OpenRice members' reviews.)
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1. Hakka Yuen @ Taman Cheras (Yulek)
Besides classic Hakka dishes like taro “gnocchi” (a.k.a. “abacus beads”) and zhoo kiok chou (pig’s trotters in sweet vinegar), this Hakka restaurant serves mean lei-cha. They’ve got the side dishes-to-rice ratio right, with the portions of the sides being surprisingly generous. It has decent amount of chai poh, which helps to whet appetite. The tea, on the other hand, is neither bland nor overwhelmingly herbaceous, favored by both longtime and new lei-cha drinkers. Plus, it’s vegan!
Image (right) courtesy where and what to eat lah?.
The organic, vegetarian restaurant-cum-grocery dishes up wholesome delicacies while not compromising flavor. Its lei-cha is a knock-out, taste-wise and visually; it’s a vegan palette of nine to ten items, like shiitake mushrooms, red cabbage, chai poh, and tofu. All organic, come in handsome portions, and served alongside brown rice and the herbaceous tea.
3. Simple Life @ various locations across the Klang Valley
This vegan establishment uses natural, organic ingredients and maintains high fiber while keeping minimal salt, sugar, and oil in its cooking. Think food like this is bland? You’re about to be proven wrong. The food here is moreish and flavorful. The emerald lei-cha accompanies piping-hot Kelantan brown rice and a platter of savory sides that includes shredded cabbage, green beans, tofu, choy sum, chai poh, and roasted peanuts. What a healthful way to soothe a hungry tummy.
4. Restoran Ho Boh @ Puchong Bandar Kinrara
Another Hakka restaurant worth trying out. Its lei-cha comes with steamed rice and healthful sides that consist of finely sliced cooked leek, yard-long beans, green beans, cabbage, and chai poh. It offers vegan and nonveg versions, with the latter cooked with dried shrimp. So, check with the staff when placing order.
Image (right) courtesy i'm saimatkong.
Freshness is key to good lei-cha, and here that’s a guarantee. To go with the restaurant’s bracing, herbaceous pounded tea is a mélange of textures: perfectly cooked veggies, crisp chai poh, crunchy roasted peanuts, salty and chewy dried shrimp (skip them if you want vegetarian or vegan), meaty black-eyed peas and tofu, as well as steamed rice (brown or white, it’s to your call).
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