Thunder Tea Rice, or Lei Cha Fan, comes from Hakka culture, going back more than a thousand years.
It was first made as a restorative dish during the Han Dynasty. The name means “pounded tea” because the soup is made by grinding herbs, tea leaves, and nuts into a thick paste.
This is then mixed with hot water to form a green, herbal broth poured over rice and chopped vegetables.
It’s one of those dishes that might surprise you at first, but grows on you.
Living Wholesome Vegetarian serves up a version of Thunder Tea Rice that is slightly different.
It’s vegetarian, so it stays light, clean, and plant-based.
You can find the stall at Bukit Timah Interim Food Centre and Fortune Centre.
Main offerings at Living Wholesome Vegetarian include Thunder Tea Brown Rice ($7.30 for regular, $9.30 for large) and Thunder Tea Bee Hoon ($6.30 for regular, $8.30 for large).
There’s also Thunder Tea Kosong ($6.30 for regular, $8.30 for large), Thunder Tea Yuan Yang ($6.80 for regular, $8.80 for large), and Vegetarian Bee Hoon ($4.00).
The rice bowl comes fully loaded. Brown rice as the base, then chopped long beans, cabbage, cai xin, preserved radish, black-eyed peas, peanuts, crispy tofu, and sesame seeds on top.
Everything is cooked separately, so each bite tastes fresh and distinct.
The one thing I found most different from other stalls is the green soup component.
Instead of using green tea leaves which can taste too strong for some, the stall uses mix of basil, mint, coriander, local herbs and nuts.
The taste was less bitter, slightly creamy, more rounded, and perhaps more approachable, especially for those who are new to the dish.
The other surprise?
The bee hoon version which I prefer. The vermicelli was light, tasted healthy yet still flavourful.
If you had some of the more herbal versions before and prefer something lighter, Living Wholesome Vegetarian offers a wholesome take that might win you over in a new way.
Living Wholesome Vegetarian (Thunder Tea Rice)
Bukit Timah Interim Food Centre #01-060, 2A Jln Seh Chuan, Singapore 599213
Opening Hours: 10am – 7:30pm (Mon – Fri), 10am – 1:45pm (Sat – Sun)
Other Related Entries
Traditional Hakka Lui Cha (Jurong West 505)
The Thunder Tea Story (Alexandra Village Food Centre)
Project Thunder Bowl (ABC Food Centre)
Hakka Thunder Tea Rice 客家佬擂茶 (Margaret Drive Food Centre)
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