01x10 - Lei Cha

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A Hakka tea-based beverage

settled in Chaoshan
after thousands of years,

becoming a favorite cuisine of the locals.

Common tea leaves

transform into an entirely different form

and develop into a flavor
unique to Chaoshan.

CHAOSHAN

Located in Jiexi, a mountainous area
in eastern Guangdong,

Hepo Town is an important region
of the Chaoshan Hakka population.

The dietary customs found here
are different from other Chaoshan regions.

Fang is picking fresh tea leaves
in her own tea orchard.

Today is winter solstice.

A traditional Hakka delicacy
should appear around now

for family and friends to enjoy.

Mint, basil, fennel,
and seasonal vegetables

are stir-fried together
with fresh tea leaves.

The method of making this tea beverage
is Chaoshan Hakka's alternate take on tea.

This is the first infusion
of the tea and vegetable flavors.

But it is not enough.

In order for the tea and vegetables
to infuse even more,

two special tools are required.

LEI MORTAR

LEI PESTLE

The sesame's richness

serves as the base flavor
for the other condiments.

It is an essential ingredient
in making this delicacy.

After grinding, add some aged tea.

The aged tea arouses
the sweetness of freshly picked tea,

giving it a long aftertaste.

Continuous grinding
must be done with even force.

Water contents seep out
after plant fibers are broken.

The tea polyphenols
released during grinding

neutralize the oil
released from the sesame and peanut.

While balancing out the greasiness,
it also gives a refreshing taste.

After grinding like this for half an hour,

the tea and condiments
are combined into one.

The tea and condiments
swiftly dissolve under hot water,

becoming the favorite traditional flavor
of Hakka people,

"lei cha."

Traditional lei cha consists
of simple, refreshing condiments

with a long aftertaste.

For thousands of years,

it has followed the footsteps
of the Hakka people

migrating south from the Central Plain.

It has been integrated into Hakka customs
due to its long history.

Sen-sen, today is
Winter Solstice Festival.

Eat it and become one year older.
You'll be six.

Be a good boy.

The Chinese have been
drinking tea for over 4,000 years.

Yet, to the Chinese,
tea is not only a beverage

but also a cooking ingredient
and potentially an enticing delicacy.

Pu'er tea from Yunnan
and Longjing tea from Hangzhou
are both first-class ingredients
used in cooking.

But the Chaoshan Hakka people prefer
the unique flavor of local green tea.

TEA INFUSED ROAST SHRIMP

SQUID IN FRESH TEA

Shanwei is a place where Hakka
and Chaoshan cultures fuse together.

The local lei cha shops
keep the traditional methods alive

while taking on new,
inventive cooking ideas.

Nine years ago, Xianqi Huang and his wife
opened a lei cha shop in Shanwei.

Today, this small shop
has made a name for itself in the region.

Xianqi Huang
inherited the craft from his mother.

Compared to the lei cha
in other Hakka regions,

their family secret lei cha
is even more exquisite.

Every winter solstice,

Xianqi Huang goes back home
to visit his mother.

LUHE COUNTY, SHANWEI CITY

Luhe is located in northern Shanwei.

It is the newest Hakka county in Guangdong
and also Xianqi Huang's hometown.

Knowing he's on his way home,
his mother starts preparing early on.

The secret to Luhe lei cha

lies in artemisia vulgaris,
which carries a hint of bitterness.

Apart from artemisia vulgaris,
it consists of over ten other condiments.

Mother, I'm coming home.

I'll be there at around four p.m.

Luhe locals enjoy
having lei cha together with other dishes.

This enhances the lei cha's richness,

making its subtle flavors
more distinctive.

Peas, vegetables, and peanuts
are first stir-fried.

While the rich smells fill the air,
they wait for the lei cha to blend in.

MINT

FENNEL

Mulberry, mint, fennel,
and solanum deflexicarpum.

BALSAM BLUMEA

Over a dozen different spices
are combined together in lei cha.

Lei cha made this way
gives off a pungent fragrance

which is simply irresistible.

One of Xianqi Huang's favorite condiments
to go with lei cha is popped rice.

Rice is stir-fried in black sand.

The rice expands with heat,
releasing a grainy, roasted fragrance.

To ensure her son and daughter-in-law
enjoy the best flavors,

she always precisely controls
the finishing time.

It's almost finished.

The crispy fried rice melts in your mouth.

When eaten with other condiments,
the flavor is wonderfully intriguing.

Although his lei cha shop sells
ten thousand bowls of lei cha each year,

what Xianqi Huang misses most in his heart

is this bowl of lei cha
that his mother serves.

As more and more lei cha makers
like Xianqi Huang started to sell it,

Hakka lei cha has sprung up
throughout Chaoshan.

Many Chaoshan locals are also trying out
new ways to make it.

Instead of traditional condiments,

they add coriander, basil,
peanut candy, and puffed rice.

FENGHUANG DANCONG TEA

In Hanzhong Ye's version of lei cha,

the key is Chaozhou locally grown
Fenghuang Dancong Tea.

Frozen Dancong tea leaves
are blended in a processor

to retain the original flavor in the tea.

The blended juice
is even more refreshing and smooth.

The sweetness from bean products
meets the sweetness from Dancong Tea,

diluting the faint bitterness
originally found in Hakka lei cha

and adding a dash of sweetness
to the rich flavor.

Chaoshan has always been
the experimental lab of flavor in China.

Here, an ingredient can undergo
totally different cooking experiments

and evolve into various kinds of flavors.

Lei cha,

this flavor from the Central Plain,

has transcended thousands of years

and evolved into new flavors
through the process of grinding,

becoming an important symbol
of Chaoshan cuisine.