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Basic ingredients of Lei Cha

The materials used in Lei Cha are very particular, mainly: snow-white plump sesame seeds, fragrant green tea, peanuts, orange peel, licorice and so on.

Lei Cha is made in a unique way. First put sesame, tea leaves and other raw materials in a mortar and grind them finely with a pestle. After grinding into a paste, brew it with boiling water, and then use a strainer to remove the dregs. It is sweet and fragrant, white as amber, and refreshing. Delicious Lei Cha is ready.

The basic raw materials of Lei Cha are tea leaves, rice, sesame seeds, soybeans, peanuts, salt and orange peel, and sometimes green herbs are added. In fact, tea is not all tea. In addition to using old tea leaves, more young leaves are picked from many wild plants, such as sorbet leaves before Qingming, Daqing leaves (regardless of season), snow potato leaves called Huaishan in traditional Chinese medicine, etc. , no fewer than ten species.

It is prepared in large quantities through processes such as washing, stewing, fermenting, and drying, and is used all year round. Adding medicinal herbs varies with the seasons and climates. For example, spring and summer are warm, and fresh herbs such as mugwort leaves, mint, fine-leaf money, and bamboo shoots are commonly used; autumn is dry, and calendula or white chrysanthemums are often selected; , You can use bamboo leaf pepper or cinnamon.

The raw materials are ready and placed in the same bowl. Generally, it is operated in a sitting position, with the left hand assisting or only using the legs to hold the bowl, and the right hand or both hands to hold the bowl tightly, and use its round end to form a circle along the inner wall of the bowl and turn it around repeatedly until the raw materials are ground into a sauce-like tea mud and poured into the bowl. Boiling water, sprinkle some chopped green onions, it becomes a daily drink.

“Lei Cha” is a very original dish in western Hunan. It got its name because the technique is very similar to “Lei Cha”. According to different materials and processing techniques, Lei Cai can be divided into two types, one is raw Lei Cai and the other is cooked Lei Cai. The former refers to pounding raw materials into dishes, and suitable raw materials include coriander, garlic, onion, leek, etc. The latter means that the raw materials are grilled, fried in oil, or steamed, and then put into a mortar and pounded with seasoning. Applicable raw materials include eggplant, onion, taro, potato, pepper, bamboo shoots, etc.

From the selection of ingredients, you can see that vegetarian ingredients are mostly used for making Lei Cai, but it is undeniable that meat ingredients such as fried crispy shrimp, fried minced meat, and braised beef can also be used as ingredients.

There are many varieties of Jiangle Leicha. It can be made according to the changes of climate in four seasons and the different conditions of human body. According to traditional Chinese medicine, drinking Lei Cha regularly has the effects of preventing wind and cold, clearing the liver and improving eyesight, moistening the lungs and strengthening the stomach. A little change in the ingredients can do wonders. Add Houttuynia cordata, Huoxiang, tangerine peel, etc. to make it, which can dispel dampness and prevent heatstroke, and it is called heatstroke prevention Lei Cha; add anchovy, Peilan leaves, copper money grass, etc. to make it, which has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxification, called heat clearing Lei Cha. All these kinds, and so on.

According to legend, Leicha originated from the “medicinal drink” that the people of the Central Plains made by grinding green herbs. During the migration process, the Hakka ancestors worked hard and were prone to “get angry”. There are many medicinal herbs available in the south of the Yangtze River, and “tea” is one of them.

Tea, known as Jia in ancient times, is said to be good for sleep in “The Collection of Materia Medica”, and has multiple functions such as clearing away heat, relieving heat, quenching thirst, and promoting body fluids, so it has become an indispensable material for medicinal drinks. Later, some people added some food to the medicinal drink, and it was improved into a home-cooked drink with a strong local flavor.

After returning from work, enjoy a bowl, and the mellow clear water is refreshing. If it is used to wash rice, it has a fragrant fragrance and is particularly refreshing. Whenever ordinary guests arrive, they can serve them with a spoonful of fried rice and a handful of fried beans, stirred into tea. What is amazing is that Lei Cha does not exclude any “drinking ingredients”, and almost any food can be added, whether it is meat or vegetable, rough or refined. It is extremely convenient for farmers to obtain materials.

Beans, rice, peanuts, vermicelli and dried fruits should be boiled first, and then poured in with water; mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spices and meat should be fried separately; sesame rice crackers can be sprinkled directly into the tea. Stir well with a spoon and it’s ready. It can not only quench your thirst, but also satisfy your hunger. It is economical to entertain guests. The Hakka people are hospitable and hospitable. When eating lei cha, there is always a share in the meeting. The more you eat, the more people you eat. The guests eat one bowl after another.

Times change, history changes. Today, Lei Cha has disappeared in many places, but Kejiangle still retains this ancient food custom and is full of strong local customs. The main tools for making Le Lei Cha are: Lei Bo, made of clay, with an inner diameter of about one foot, in the shape of an inverted circular platform, with grooves inside; Lei Chu, made of camellia trunks, about 2 feet long ; The fence, that is, the ladle made of bamboo, is used for the ash to remove the dross.