For the longest time, I avoided Hakka Lei Cha (aka Lui Cha in Hakka) because I thought it was something you’d eat if you’d lost a bet, or if you were on a diet – it just looked too healthy and vegan to be enjoyable.

So despite being 100% Hakka, I’d never had Hakka Lei Cha until I had a go at making it myself a couple of weeks ago. In other words, when I finally tested it out, absent any past personal experience to compare it against, I could only rely on Paul’s memory for how it should taste. 

That’s because, unlike this Hakka moi, our South African Paul did in fact eat Hakka Lei Cha when we visited a Hakka settlement in Machap (Melaka) courtesy of Tourism Malaysia a few years back. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t just more game about eating it than me, he even had a go at making it during the Hakka Lei Cha workshop conducted by our hosts.

This video includes footage filmed during the Machap Hakka Village workshop –

By the way, Hakka Lei Cha is also known as Thunder Tea, BUT the common opinion that the term comes from the thunderous sound of the paste being pounded is wrong – the written Chinese character for “Lei/Lui” is the word “to grind”, not “thunder” (both words share the same pronunciation in the three Chinese dialects I know). 

Also, during our Machap Hakka Village visit, our Hakka hosts demonstrated how the tea paste was made, and it involved rolling and grinding (not pounding) the wooden pestle against the ridged walls of the purpose-built bowl in a circular motion. 

This means the correct process of making Lei Cha does not in fact produce thunderous sounds, contrary to the made-up claim of those trying to explain why it’s called “Thunder Tea”. Having said that, the Michelin Guide website says “Thunder Tea” is a fun & accepted nameplay for the dish, so who knows (definitely not this particular Hakka).

So what is Hakka Lei Cha anyway? It’s a rice bowl that comes with different toppings such as peanuts, salted radish, tofu, cooked shredded vegetables eg. snake beans and leafy greens, and it’s served with a bowl of green soup poured over it, which is made from ground Chinese tea, herbs, peanuts and sesame seeds.

While it’s true that it’s predominantly vegan, it can optionally come with non-veg toppings like dried shrimp and ikan bilis (fried dried anchovies).

In my research, I came to realise that no two recipes for Hakka Lei Cha are the same; this fact is widely acknowledged, with the explanation that the dish is one borne from necessity and pragmatism, in line with my Hakka ancestors’ nomadic upbringing in hostile environments – you basically adapt the ingredients to what’s available in your neck of the woods. 

This is great news to diaspora Malaysians & Singaporeans whose biggest complaint when it comes to Malaysian cooking is usually that they can’t find the right ingredients in their part of the world.

I’m going to break down the recipe and its variations, and give my adaptation at the end (based on my own flavour preferences). 

If you were to make everything from scratch, you could expect to spend a couple of hours in the kitchen (even with my ninja skills and help from my kitchen appliances), so this is how I approach it –  

Hakka Lei Cha can essentially be split into three components – 

1. Tea Paste
2. Toppings
3. Rice & Vegetables

The tea paste and the toppings can be prepared in advance; this is what I do – 

1. Freeze the tea paste in silicone moulds, then keep the blocks in the freezer until I need to use them.
2. Cook up the toppings with long shelf lives, and store them in my pantry.
3. Cook the rice and vegetables either just before serving, or keep them in the fridge – they’ll last a few days.

Doing it this way will cut down your Hakka Lei Cha prep time on the day to 20 minutes, give or take.

When I first shared about my Hakka Lei Cha experiments, one of my fellow overseas Malaysian friends, Ivan Choy, mentioned that he treats Part 3 – ie. the rice and veggies – as a weekly fridge clear-out exercise, which is a brilliant idea because I’ve always been loathe to buy too much leafy greens since they don’t keep long in the fridge, but now I can.

If You Can’t Find Everything

Lei Cha’s biggest hurdle for most home cooks is sourcing the herbs. Here’s a breakdown of what’s essential, what’s optional, and what you can swap.

Tea paste herbs

The base herbs are Asian basil, Asian mint and coriander. One of my Malaysian Hawker Pro students in England used Western basil and Western mint as substitutes during our Zoom workshop, though I would suggest to add a touch of fresh ginger and some black peppercorns next time, to give it a bit more punch.

My recipe includes Vietnamese mint (daun kesum, also called laksa leaves or polygonum) because I had a lot left over from an event that was begging to be used up, and doing so accidentally helped enhance the flavour, at least according to Paul.

Sawtooth coriander was used in the version made at the Machap Hakka Village – I didn’t realise that until I went back through our photo archives. I’ll add it in my next batch since this is another ingredient that’s readily available in Cabramatta (we have so much to thank Vietnamese immigrants for all these herbs, really).

Mugwort is also widely available at Asian grocery stores in Sydney (I can even get it at my local Tong Li) but otherwise, substitute with rocket, or leave it out altogether.

Nuts and seeds

Roasted peanuts are standard for the paste, but I’m sure some other types of nuts would work. I’m thinking out loud but peanut butter might be a good substitute if you’re big on shortcuts (like me).

Roasted sesame seeds (white or black) are the other base ingredient in the paste. I’m guessing tahini or Chinese sesame paste could be viable replacements, though again, I haven’t tried it myself.

Toppings

The essential toppings are roasted peanuts (skin off) and preserved radish (chai poh, sometimes called salted turnip). For decades, I’ve been using Thai minced preserved radish in lieu of finger-sized salted radish for my business (specifically for my Chai Tow Kueh), but whatever you can find should work – just make sure you check how salty it is and rinse it as much as is necessary to temper the saltiness.

Various types of salted radish pictured below; they will all work but you may have to mince them if they come in big chunks –

Beyond that, you can add any combination of:

Dried anchovies (ikan bilis), dried shrimp, salted fish, crispy fried onions (I add that just because I almost always have some sitting around), crispy fried garlic.

Rice and vegetables

Jasmine rice is the usual base, though at the Hakka Village we visited, they actually served it with puffed rice out of a packet. Most other recipes I’ve seen use either uncooked rice stir-fried with oil and garlic, then transferred into a rice cooker to cook, OR they simply use freshly-cooked white rice. I had some leftover cold rice to use up the first time I made this, so I turned it into a garlic fried rice.

For the leafy greens, almost anything goes, including cabbage; I’ve even used English spinach.

Hard tofu is in the base recipe but can be left out entirely or substituted with tofu puffs.

Seasoning

For all three components, you have the flexibility of using just salt, or if you’re not a hardcore health purist, you can add or replace with some of the following – MSG, chicken powder, mushroom seasoning, oyster sauce, and soya sauce.

Likewise with garlic and sauteing with oil; this is optional but I mean, who doesn’t like garlic? If omitting, you can just poach all the ingredients.

Now that I’ve gotten my longest preamble ever out of the way, this is roughly how I make Hakka Lei Cha – all the amounts are estimates; adjust as you see fit.

Jackie M’s Hakka Lei Cha

(adapted from various sources, including The Hakka Cookbook)

Part 1 – Hakka Tea Paste

2-3 TBSP dried Chinese tea leaves
50g Thai Basil, roots removed, stems intact, roughly chopped
50g Asian Mint, roots removed, roughly chopped
50g Vietnamese Coriander (aka daun kesum aka polygonum), roots removed, stems intact, roughly chopped
50g Coriander, roots removed, stems intact, roughly chopped 

200g Mugwort, cut into 4-inch lengths
⅔ cup peanuts, roasted
2-3 TBSP sesame seeds (black, white, or a mixture), roasted
Enough water to turn it into a smoothie-like consistency (2-3 cups?)

1 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP oil

½ tsp pepper
1 TBSP salt +1 tsp MSG (optional)
OR 1 ½ TBSP chicken powder
OR 2 TBSP mushroom seasoning

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a large wok. Add minced garlic and saute until lightly aromatic.
2. Add all the herbs and mugwort; mix well.
3. Add water and cover wok until vegetables are wilted – about 30 seconds.
4. Transfer into a powerful blender (ThermoCook or Thermomix).
5. Add tea leaves, peanuts, sesame seeds, pepper, and seasoning.
6. Blend into a smooth paste – approximately 2 minutes on high speed if using a ThermoCook.

Part 2 – Toppings

200g ikan bilis (dried anchovies), rinsed and drained
100g dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, drained
100g salted radish, rinsed & chopped (substitute – sweet Thai minced preserved radish)

⅓ cup oil

½ cup crispy onions (recipe here – https://jackiem.com.au/2016/12/16/how-to-make-crispy-fried-onions/)
½ cup crispy garlic

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in pan; add dried anchovies and fry until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels.
2. Reheat the oil and add dried shrimp; fry for about 30 seconds; remove and place on paper towels.
3. Add salted radish into the pan and fry briefly – about 30 seconds; remove and place on paper towels.
4. Once cooled, transfer ingredients into jars and store until use.

Part 3 – Rice & Vegetables

2 cups leftover rice
100g hard tofu, finely diced
100g snake beans, thinly sliced (I use the slicing function on my food processor)
400g vegetables eg. cabbage and/or different Asian leafy greens, all thinly sliced (I use a food processor)

3 TBSP minced garlic
3 TBSP oil

Seasoning (any, or any combination of, the following):
Salt, pepper, MSG, chicken powder, mushroom seasoning

METHOD:

1. Heat 1 TBSP oil in a wok; add 1 TBSP garlic and saute until aromatic.
2. Add rice and stir-fry, sprinkling with a light amount of seasoning (optional). Remove and set aside.
3. Heat ½ TBSP oil and add 1 tsp garlic and saute until aromatic. Add tofu and fry until heated through. Season lightly; remove and set aside.
4. Heat ½ TBSP oil and add 1 tsp garlic and saute until aromatic. Add snake beans and fry until just done. Season lightly; remove and set aside.
5. Heat 1 TBSP oil and add 1 TBSP garlic; saute until aromatic. Add vegetables and fry until just done. Season lightly; remove and set aside.
6. To serve, add about 1 cup of boiling water to ½ cup tea paste, mix well. By the way, the amount of water is up to you; I prefer my Lei Cha soup rich and creamy but it’s more common for it to be of a thinner consistency.
   Place rice in bowl, top with vegetables; pour tea soup over it.
   Add other toppings and serve.

Quick message to wrap things up –

1. if you want to learn how to cook Malaysian food properly, you know you need more than recipes; you need mentorship from someone who’s been running a Malaysian food business outside Malaysia for over 30 years. Drop me a line if you want to find out more about my online MalaysianHawkerPro.com coaching programme, or my twice-weekly Zoom cook-alongs which I run for my Malaysian Cooking Club on Skool.
2. Right below is the most recent issue of our Masters of Malaysian Cuisine (MOMC) digital magazine, which you can download completely free; it contains more recipes, a dining directory for Ipoh/Perak, and a number of articles. This issue comes with two different covers, though the content are the same –

Click to View or Download Truly Malaysian by MOMC, featuring Ipoh White Coffee Cover – 

Click to View or Download Truly Malaysian by MOMC, featuring Ipoh Kai Si Hor Fun Cover – 

The post How to Make Hakka Lei Cha first appeared on Jackie M..

At the time, I assumed that my customers would already know how to use curry pastes and it would be just one extra step to educate them on using the dry variety. Turns out that was incorrect. Every now and then I’d hear back from people who had no idea.

In fact, a couple of months ago a Malaysian customer reported back raving about my Laksa, made using the Laksa Nyonya Paste – she didn’t buy it; she was gifted it by someone who did buy a pack but didn’t know how to use it.

You can read more reviews about my Handcrafted Dry Curry Paste Kits here (they’re just screenshots I saved to Google Photos; nothing fancy); most are by Malaysians, even Malaysians in Malaysia; all are unsolicited – Honest Reviews of Jackie M’s Curry Paste Kits

So I finally buckled down yesterday (yes I can be very productive when I put my mind to it) and compiled this recipe collection/guide – it contains not just the typical dishes you would use these Dry Curry Paste Kits for, but also creative ways to tweak them for other dishes.

You can download the eBook/Recipe Collection here – Click to View or Download

I actually have a few more recipes/recipe ideas I’ve not yet added to this compilation for various reasons, some as petty as that I don’t have good photos for them yet. So make sure you save the Google Drive link to this eBook because I’ll continue to update it, or if you want an easier-to-remember url, you can bookmark this page from my website, where the “Download Cookbook” lives – JackieM.com.au/CurryPastes

My curry pastes are only available online (unless you can make it to my Concord Hospital Market stall which runs once a month, usually on the last Thursday). You can buy them here – Shop.JackieM.com.au

The post A Collection of Recipes And Ideas for My Handcrafted Dry Curry Paste Kits first appeared on Jackie M..

During this visit, organised by Ben Yap of IpohTreats.com, Mama Sheerah prepared an extensive array of dishes, but they were not the usual rendang, chicken curry, ayam goreng, nasi lemak, etc. that you would expect at a typical Malay eatery but rather offerings that were familiar and delicious but also a little less widely available.

I was so impressed I decided (once we were back in Sydney) to run a couple of Zoom sessions with my private Malaysian Cooking Club community covering some of the Nasi Minyak ensemble we ate at Mama Sheerah’s.

Here’s the recipe for Pajeri Nenas, based on what I found at ResipiCheNom.com, but adapted with my own tweaks etc. It’s a little different from Mama Sheerah’s but it’s very good – just ask Annie, who tried making it – not once but twice in two consecutive weeks – after my initial Zoom sessions.

PAJERI NENAS

INGREDIENTS:

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices
½ cup cooking oil
½ onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1-inch ginger, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
4 cloves, optional
4 cardamom pods, optional
1 sprig curry leaves
3 TBSP meat curry powder, mixed with a little water
50 g ikan bilis, optional
1 TBSP dried shrimp, soaked in warm water, strained
½ cup coconut cream
2–3 TBSP kerisik (toasted shredded coconut)
2 TBSP sugar
Salt, to taste

METHOD:

1. Cut pineapple into thick pieces.
2. Pound ikan bilis (if using) and dried shrimp.
3. Heat oil. Add sliced aromatics, cinnamon, star anise, curry leaves (and optional spices). Cook until lightly golden and fragrant.
4. Add curry paste, pounded ikan bilis + dried shrimp, plus a little water. Cook until oil separates.
5. Add pineapple. Mix through.
6. Add sugar and cook 10–15 mins until pineapple absorbs the spices. Add a little water if you want more gravy.
7. Add coconut cream and kerisik. Season with salt and adjust sugar.
8. Cook until everything is well-combined. Remove and serve.

1. By the way, I’ve previously written about Mama Sheerah; you can check it out in this article here – Malay Food In Perak – 4 Must-Try Places
2. As mentioned above, this was part of an ensemble I made during the Zoom sessions; I collated the recipes in this PDF which you can download here – Jackie M’s Cooking Club Nasi Minyak Collection
3. Finally, more about these eateries along with Perak food stories and recipes can be found in our FREE Truly Malaysian by MOMC digital magazine.
   You can download the Perak issue by clicking on the magazine covers below (we published this issue with two different covers, but the same content) –

The post How to Cook Pajeri Nenas (Pineapple Curry) first appeared on Jackie M..

And if you’re as painfully Malaysian as I am, your default supermarket cut for steak would be something like scotch fillet (which is why I rarely eat steak – it’s exxy). But Paul decided to add a “Budget Meal” angle to our South Africa Meets Malaysia broadcasts, so he tested three different ways to prepare chuck crest to produce the most tender results.

Catch the replay here –

Here are the key points and techniques from the broadcast:

1. Choosing and Preparing Cheap Cuts

• The experiment used chuck crest, one of the cheapest and toughest beef cuts (previously ~$12/kg, now ~$14.99/kg).

• Chuck crest is usually used for slow-cooked dishes (curries, stews), not steak. The goal was to see how it performs as steak using different prep and cooking methods.

• Always cut steaks 3 cm thick (approx.) to allow proper heat penetration and searing.

Budget tip:
Buy cheap “dog bones” and secondary cuts (like chuck, shank, ribs) from butchers or wholesalers such as Australian Meat Emporium. These are undervalued by mainstream customers but perfect for home cooks who know how to coax flavour from them.

2. The Three Methods Tested

For cheap cuts, slow pre-cooking (sous vide or oven) breaks down sinew and collagen. A quick sear at the end adds crust and flavour.

3. Key Searing Tips

• Use high-smoke-point fat — beef tallow, ghee, or canola (avoid olive oil).

• Dry the steaks thoroughly before searing to avoid steaming.

• Sear for 60 seconds per side, pressing down with a heavy object or steak press to maximise surface contact.

• Don’t cover with a lid — use a porous splatter guard to prevent moisture buildup and splatter.

• Flip often (every 30 seconds) if cooking directly from raw to build even crust.

4. Seasoning and Marinade

• Simple, Malaysian-influenced seasoning:

  • Salt

  • Chicken powder

  • Chili flakes

  • Sarawak pepper (adds floral aroma and depth)

  • Optional: a dusting of cornstarch for light tenderising

• Always season to taste — adjust salt and spice levels to your preference.

5. Sauce #1 – Mushroom + Peppercorn Sauce

Technique:

• Sauté fresh garlic and Sarawak peppercorns in butter to extract oils and aroma.

• Add button mushrooms (browned in butter if possible).

• Incorporate beef stock (preferably homemade from beef bones).

• Finish with evaporated milk for creaminess.

Budget notes:

• Cheap mushrooms from “specials shelf” or clearance bins work fine.

• Homemade beef stock from pet-grade bones yields flavour and tallow for frying later.

6. Sauce #2 – Malaysian-Style Chili Hot Sauce

Hybrid concept: a cross between a Western hot sauce and a Malaysian sambal.

• Soak dried chillies in hot water until softened.

• Blend with onion, garlic, tomato, vinegar (apple cider, ~1 tbsp), chicken powder, Sarawak pepper, and salt.

• Cook down until fragrant — consistency should be pourable, not pasty.

• Adjust thickness with water or the reserved chili-soaking liquid for more heat.

7. Stock & Fat Rendering

• Save and reduce leftover beef-bone stock until gelatinous.

• Once chilled, scrape off the fat cap to render into beef tallow.

• Use that tallow for frying steaks — it’s cost-effective and adds rich, beefy flavour.

8. Additional Tips

• If you only own one Thermomix, make chili sauce in it and cook mushrooms on the stove.

• Avoid bottled minced garlic — use pre-peeled cloves from Asian grocers (~$6–8 per kg).

9. Results Summary

• Sous Vide (57 °C, 2 hrs) → Tender, juicy, clearly the winner.

• Oven (90 °C, 2 hrs) → Acceptable, but firmer texture.

• Pan-only (raw) → Tough; not steak-worthy.

Takeaway:
To transform cheap chuck cuts into steakhouse-quality meals, low-temp precook + high-heat sear is the unbeatable combo.

The post The $10 Chuck Steak Challenge: Can You Turn the Cheapest Cut into a Decent Steak? first appeared on Jackie M..

Chef Koochooloo is a free educational app aimed at teaching children new skills such as math, science and geography through cooking healthy recipes. Through the app, you can navigate through an interactive 3D globe to discover new countries to cook from and what kind of recipes you might find at each different location.

Chef Koochooloo’s mission is to bring together families and kids from different cultures through food and nutrition. If you’re a parent or a teacher, this could be a really valuable and fun tool to teach your kids about culture, food and learning.

As the Malaysian ambassador for Chef Koochooloo, I’ll be contributing three recipes per month for their app & website. As a Malaysian-Australian, I love the idea of children learning more about different cultures all around the world and here in Australia and what better way to do this than through food?

Visit ChefKoochooloo.com or download their app by clicking here and keep an eye out for my Malaysian recipes!

The post Jackie M – Chef Koochooloo Ambassador first appeared on Jackie M..