52 Traditional Hakka Thunder Tea Rice – Healthy 擂茶 at Berseh Food Centre

3 weeks into 2019, how is your eat-clean resolution coming along?

Don’t worry, we’re here to help. We found a delicious Traditional Hakka Thunder Tea which is going to satisfy both your palate, and help you achieve your body goals.

We found an unassuming stall, in a corner of the famous Berseh Food Centre,  offering a dish that’s becoming increasingly rare – Hakka Thunder Tea Rice. I spotted Jenny, the chef-owner, with a hair net on as she was frying a new batch of mani chye. The fragrance was so inviting.

I ordered the Hakka Thunder Tea Rice ($4.50) with all of the side dishes. You can opt for brown rice instead of white rice with a top-up of 50 cents. Jenny also offers house-made ngoh hiang items at $1 a piece. On the day of my visit, there were only fish cake and ngoh hiang. Usually, there are more items such as eggplant, bitter gourd and fried tofu. Jenny explained that she just returned from a holiday the day before and couldn’t prepare the ingredients in time.

My Hakka Thunder Tea Rice ($4.50) was decorated with all sorts of greens. There was a clean and sweet mix of cabbage, carrots and cai xim, savoury small bits of long beans, yummy tofu which lent a different texture to the entire mix,  slightly crunchy mani chye which gave a deep sweet flavour, and sweet and salty cai po which laced the meal with bursts of umami. Even the ikan bilis was crispier and more fragrant than usual.

On its own, it can be considered a clean and delicious cai fan. But the meal is changed entirely with the addition of Thunder Tea.

The green tea is made out of basil, peppermint leaves, coriander, peanuts and green tea. If you have it just on its own, the strong herbal notes will hit you rather harshly, and can be overwhelming.

Instead of drinking it, pour the thunder tea into your rice and give it a good mix. You’ll find that the tea perfumes the bowl beautifully.

The fish Cake and ngoh hiang were enjoyable too. The ngoh hiang stole the spotlight with its flaky and crispy exterior. I’ll definitely be back to try the other sides that Jenny mentioned.

I left Berseh Food Centre pleased, and feeling exceptionally healthy. This means that I can now indulge in more sinful food, right?

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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