Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture · History

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Lei Cha at Taman Johor Hawker Centre 招妹咸茶

We were food hunting at the old Taman Johor food centre, when the sight of these freshly made yong tau fu stopped me in my tracks.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

When was the last time you have seen freshly made yong tau fu with such bright natural colours and bulging with minced pork and fish fillings like these?

I haven't seen these old school yong tau fu in Singapore for a while.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

It's from this humble Hakka lei cha 擂茶 stall at Taman Johor food centre.

The stall refers to the traditional Hakka comfort dish as hum cha or salty rice 咸茶, which is the old Hakka name for lei cha 擂茶 (the more commonly used term in Singapore).

We ordered a lei cha set to try.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

Everything here for a total of RM7.50. (RM4.50 for the rice and broth. RM3 for the 3 pieces of yong tau fu.)

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

The bowl of steamed white rice is fully blanketed with spinach, fried tofu cubes, chai poh (preserved turnips), long beans, fried cabbage and a spoonful of toasted peanuts.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

The bowl of green broth is made by grinding fresh vegetables and herbs, hence the term lei cha 擂茶擂茶 is the Hakka phrase for ground tea, not "thunder tea" as is often mistranslated.

Lei cha broth usually has a minty and green flavour.

I like this, though I know that it is an acquired taste ;-D

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

Lei cha is eaten by scooping the green broth into the rice and vegetables.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

I usually pour the whole bowl of green broth into the rice.

I like the refreshing flavours of the vegetables and herbs as well as the mix of crunchy, soft and nutty textures.

Lai Cha is often eaten with yong tau fu. At 招妹咸茶 each piece of yong tau fu costs RM1.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

Freshly made and fried bitter gourd with savoury sweet minced pork and fish paste.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

Minced pork and fish stuffed into a bean curd fried to a slight crisp outside.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

Stuffed egg plant. Juicy and sweet.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

The lady boss 招妹 has been running this little stall with her son for over 20 years. Another son also runs a lei cha stall in Bukit Indah.

招妹 and her family prepare and cook everything here at the stall everyday, so we are sure to get only fresh lei cha and yong tau fu.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

Taman Johor food centre is an old neighbourhood cluster of humble hawker stalls. Well shielded from the sun outside, inside the food centre it is dim and dingy. Nevertheless, it is clean and quite well kept, despite it's age.

I shall be back here to explore the other food stalls.

Lei-Cha-Taman-Johor-招妹咸茶

Restaurant name: Makanan Hakka 招妹咸茶

Address: 2A-11, Pasar Awam Taman Johor, Jalan Ledang, Taman Johor, Johor Bahru
Maphttp://bit.ly/TmnJohorLeiCha
GPS1.508579, 103.690554
Hours: 8:00am to 1:00pm (closed on Monday)

Non Halal


Date visited: 7 Apr 2015


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4 comments:

  1. 一間座落在馬來西亞 新山市 柔佛花園,傳承客家人最傳統、正宗、 又美味的擂茶/鹹茶美食,店家嚴選食材,又堅持使用最健康的方式現做現賣。因此,每天客戶駱驛不絕。此擂茶除具健康外,也有除油瘦身之效果!
    吃過所有的客家人美食中 我認為這家客家擂茶/鹹茶是最棒的。我可邀請各挑剔的美食家去挑戰它的美味。我給一萬個'讚'(like)

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  2. The taste of Lei Cha food and Yong Tau fu was really great when I paid second visit to 招妹咸茶 Lei Cha stall. My Penang friends enjoyed the food very much!


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  3. I visited this stall again with my Penang & KL friends on December 29. All were very satisfied with the food served by this stall. We will come back again next time when we are here.

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  4. 这间真的好吃。说来好笑,虽然我有客家血统但是我是30岁后才开始吃。我第一次吃咸茶就是这间,就觉得很香很可口。还特地去另外三个地方试吃,还是觉得这间的最好吃。

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