VEGGIE - Hakka Thunder Tea Rice (Hakka Lui Cha)

By Aemelia

Ingredients

• Condiments:
• 120 gm preserved chopped salted radish (choy poh), soaked in water for 30 minutes, squeeze dry
• 30 gm dried shrimps, soaked in water for 15 mins, drained and coarsely chop
• 250-300 gm choysum/bak choy
• 250-300 gm cabbage/spinach/kalian
• 10 pcs of long beans
• 2 pieces (3 inch square) pressed tofu, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 2 onions or leeks, sliced
• 5 Tbsp toasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (half for paste, half for sprinkling on rice)
• Tea soup paste:
• 1 handful of Thai basil 九程塔, leaves only (before trimming from stalks was 45gm)
• 1 handful of mint (applemint, 香花菜, leaves only (amount about the same as basil)
• 3 Tbsp roasted peanuts
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (amount taken from above)
• 1 green tea bag (snipped open for the tea dust/leaves)
• 1/2 tsp salt, more if you like it saltier
• 1 anchovy soup cube (replace with vegetarian seasoning if vegetarian)
• 1/2 cup drinkable plain water (or the water squeezed from the blanched, cut, veggies)

Details

Servings 5
Adapted from wendyinkk.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Method:
1. First, cook your rice, prepare only 70% of what you would normally eat.
2. Soak the preserved radish and dried shrimp in water, separately.
3. Bring a pot of water to boil, it should be enough for blanching the vegetables.
4. Meanwhile, cube the tofu, slice the onions/leeks. Rinse the vege, leave them whole.
5. When the water has come to a boil, blanch the vege separately. Long beans for 30 seconds, choysum/bakchoy/kalian for 30 seconds, Spinach until just wilted, cabbage for 1-2 minutes. Drain all vege and leave to cool down.
6. Now, squeeze dry the preserved radish and the soaked shrimps. Coarsely chop the shrimps.
7. Prepare a pan. Put sesame seeds in and put on medium low heat. Gently toast them until slightly golden, or sometimes they may start jumping (some don’t jump, but will just turn golden). Remove and set aside.
8. Put in 2 tbsp of oil and pan fry half the tofu cubes until golden. Drain and dish up. Repeat with the other half of tofu.
9. With oil remaining in pan, turn heat to high, let pan heat up and put in sliced onions/leeks and cook for 30 seconds and turn to medium heat and cook until soft and translucent. (The initial high heat is needed to give the onions a nice aroma). Lightly season with some salt. Remove onions/leeks and put in a bowl/plate
10. With the same pan, if there is still some oil (1tsp), if there is none , then add some oil in, then fry the dried shrimps until golden. Dish up.
11. Put in preserved radish and cook for 1 minute until it turns hot. Dish up.
12. Now, slice all the vegetables thinly and keep them aside. Squeeze excess water out fom leafy vege. (You can retain the squeezed out juice for blending the paste)Do not mix them together.

To prepare tea soup paste:
1. Put everything in to a blender and whizz until fine.
2. Put into a bowl.

Assembly:
1. Place rice in center or bowl (I only fill 70% of my normal portion)
2. Divide all condiments into 5 portions and arrange condiments onto rice.
3. Put 2 Tbsp of tea soup paste into another rice bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water onto paste and let it infuse for 1 minute.
4. You can either consume the rice and soup separately or pour the soup onto the rice.