Standard Amoy Road Meals Centre thunder tea stall with distinctive lei cha chilly noodles

Should you ask me, the healthiest doable dish you will discover in a neighborhood hawker centre is thunder tea rice, in any other case generally known as lei cha. Those that frequent Amoy Road Meals Centre would almost definitely be aware of the favored stall, Lin Da Ma, which specialises in lei cha rice and noodles.

For the uninitiated, lei cha is a Hakka dish originating from Southern China, sometimes that includes rice topped with numerous greens and nuts, and served with a particular tea soup produced from tea leaves, herbs and nuts. This nutritious dish is usually good for health-conscious people— the quantity of fibre on this dish makes it further healthful!

In contrast to different stalls that are likely to attraction extra in direction of vegetarians, Lin Da Ma markets itself as a stall “appropriate for meat lovers”. Their lei cha is served with fried ikan bilis, and you’ll even decide so as to add on handmade meat balls.

Lin Da Ma typically sees lengthy queues throughout lunch hour, with many lining as much as get pleasure from a bowl of their scrumptious lei cha. To keep away from the queues, you should definitely head down throughout non-peak hours.

What I attempted at Lin Da Ma

I opted to strive the Lei Cha with Brown Rice (S$5.30), which got here topped with assorted chopped greens, ikan bilis and peanuts. The tea soup got here in a separate bowl.

Texture-wise, the tea soup was a bit thick and barely grainy. Although the portion wasn’t very large, the soup managed to coat all of the rice evenly, giving the complete dish a creamy consistency.

The lei cha had a barely minty style that didn’t overpower the remainder of the dish. Every chunk was refreshing and nutty, with the flavours from the herbs shining by means of. I particularly favored how texturally fascinating the dish was— the rice was delicate and mushy whereas the numerous veggies have been crisp and lightweight. The agency crunch of the peanuts tied the entire dish collectively, making this a really satisfying meal.

We tried the best-rated lei cha in KL

I used to be stunned to see Lei Cha Handpull Noodle (S$3.60) on the menu at Lin Da Ma— I’d visited just a few lei cha stalls previously, however had by no means come throughout lei cha noodles in my life. Out of curiosity, I made a decision to put an order for it, and opted so as to add on the stall’s Specialty Meatballs (S$1.20 for 3 items) for good measure.

The tea soup on this dish was the identical because the one within the Lei Cha with Brown Rice. It was herby and contemporary, and coated every noodle strand effectively. The noodles have been springy in texture, however I felt that the dish was much less satisfying than its rice counterpart— the rice model had a a lot creamier texture and loads of greens to complement it, whereas the noodles have been solely topped with peanuts and a smattering of shredded cucumbers.

Regardless, this was a really fascinating dish and I favored how there was additionally a jammy egg on the aspect to additional elevate its flavours.

The Specialty Meatballs have been a shock to me— I had initially anticipated them to have the identical style and texture as most common meatballs, however these jogged my memory a whole lot of falafel balls. They have been crisp on the surface but delicate and barely crumbly inside, with simply sufficient savoury flavours and saltiness. They made for a pleasant pairing with the milder tastes of the Lei Cha Handpull Noodle.

Ultimate ideas

Lin Da Ma affords some fairly scrumptious bowls of lei cha, in addition to extra distinctive additions that you simply most likely gained’t discover at different stalls. Whereas the lei cha right here didn’t style all that totally different compared to different locations, I discovered that the inexpensive costs and cheap parts made this a stall value visiting, particularly if you happen to’re out there for some good ol’ thunder tea rice or noodles.

Do head right down to Lin Da Ma quickly to strive these for your self!

Anticipated harm: S$3.60 – S$7 per pax

Tian Tian Chi Su: Thunder Tree’s Bukit Batok West comeback with scrumptious lei cha kolo mee