Chinese Hakka Lei Cha Vegetable Rice Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
• 1 cup Thai basil and mint leaves
• 2 tbsp green tea leaves
• 3 cups mixed vegetables such as green beans, cabbage, and carrot, finely diced
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups hot water or vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup dried shredded radish or pickle, optional
• Salt and white pepper

Steps

1. Rinse the rice and simmer it in 2 1/4 cups salted water, covered, over the lowest heat for 15 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat.
2. Grind the peanuts and sesame seeds to a coarse paste in a food processor or mortar, scraping down the sides.
3. Add the tea leaves and the herbs and keep grinding until you have a thick, deep green paste. Grind the tea leaves properly; whole leaves left in float as bitter shreds in the finished broth.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok over high heat and stir-fry the diced vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes, until crisp-tender and lightly charred at the edges, keeping each type recognisable.
5. Add the garlic for the last 30 seconds, season with the soy sauce, and set aside.
6. Whisk the hot water into the green paste a little at a time, until you have a smooth, drinkable broth the colour of moss.
7. Warm it gently in a saucepan without boiling. Boiling turns the tea bitter and dulls the herbs from bright green to grey.
8. Serve the rice in bowls topped with the vegetables and the dried radish, and pour the hot lei cha broth over at the table.

Allergen note: Contains gluten, peanuts, sesame and soy.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.