I have been having a sore throat and lost my voice since last weekend.  Within this few days I have 3 taken lunches with this “LeiCha”.  I always order the extra large one because I will get hungry very easily if taking “LeiCha”.

“Lei” means pounding, “Cha” means tea.  “Lei2Cha2” means pounded tea.  In Hakka, it is pronounced as “Lui2Cha2”.  It is always served separated for: - (1) a bowl of “LeiCha” soup, (2) a bowl of rice with different types of vegetable and (3) a small plate of roasted peanuts.

The soup is the actual “Lei Cha”; the ingredients are peppermint, herbs leave (not the normal tea), peanut or sesame seeds etc.  All of the ingredients are pounded until as tiny as powder and cooked as a soup. When it is served, the soup is always poured over the rice and vegetable.  The vegetables used may be different depends on individual preferences.  The vegetarian restaurant that I always visit uses long beans, 4-season-beans, dried salted vege (the one in light brown colour or Cai4Pu3 in Chinese), and a random type of green leaves vegetable.  Roasted peanut can be added as well to make it more delicious.

I like to mix everything into a bowl.  Its tastes are a bit bitter but the “CaiPu” which is salty can always neutralize it.  If you are afraid of its bitter taste, you can always reduce the soup and increase the “CaiPu”.

Not everybody likes to take “LeiCha”.  Some of my friends never order it.  Some of my friends give up after testing for one spoon.  But if you never try, you will never know whether your tongue can accept it.

“LeiCha” is good for health.  I have heard that the reason for the Hakkas to invent this soup is because they needed to adapt to the new environment for different climates as they were always moving from a place to another during the old days.  Their ingredient would be any vegetable that can be found locally where they were currently staying at.  “LeiCha” is able to build a strong adaptability on human body in different climates.  Besides, it is extremely rich in fiber that makes you no worry about constipation.

We like “LeiCha”.  You never try, you never know how delicious it is.