Before the grain bowl, there was thunder tea rice, an ancient Hakka dish more fondly known as Lei Cha.

Preparation of thunder tea rice first begins with a painstaking pulverisation of a multitude of vegetables and herbs (which include mugwort, basil, tea leaves and nuts) with a mortar and pestle, which is then added with boiling water to create a bright green soup. On the table, it is served alongside a bowl of rice that’s topped with an assortment of chopped vegetables.