Hakka Thunder Tea Rice (Lei Cha Fan / 擂茶饭)
Southern China — Hakka regions of Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, Malaysia
Ancient Hakka health food of ground green tea leaves, herbs (basil, mint, perilla), peanuts, and sesame pounded in a mortar with water to form a fragrant green paste diluted into a broth, poured over rice with an array of blanched vegetables, tofu, and dried shrimp toppings. A complete meal in a bowl with extraordinary herbal complexity.