194457
Introduction Lei Cha Chapter 11
Introduction Lei Cha Chapter 11
The ingredients used in Lei Cha are very particular, mainly: white and plump sesame seeds, fragrant green tea, peanut fruit, orange peel, licorice and so on.
The production method of Lei Cha is unique. First, place the raw materials such as sesame and tea leaves in a beating bowl and use a pestle to finely grind them. When they are ground into a slurry, they are brewed with hot boiling water, and then the dregs are removed with a fence. Sweet and fragrant, white as amber, refreshing Delicious Lei Cha is made.
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, not all tea leaves are tea leaves. In addition to using old tea leaves, they are more about picking the young leaves of many wild plants, such as yam pear leaves before the Qingming Festival, Daqing leaves (regardless of season), and snow sweet potato leaves called Huaishan in traditional Chinese medicine, etc. , no less than ten species. After washing, simmering, fermenting, drying and other processes, it is prepared in large quantities and used all year round.
The addition of medicinal herbs varies with the seasonal climate, such as warm spring and summer, commonly used wormwood, mint, fine leaf money, bamboo shoots and other fresh herbs; autumn dryness, choose calendula or white chrysanthemum; winter is cold , Bamboo leaf pepper or cinnamon can be used.
The ingredients are ready and placed in a bowl. It is generally operated in a sitting position, with the assistance of the left hand or only using both legs to clamp the beating bowl, the right hand or both hands holding the beating tightly, and the rounded end of the beating bowl is rotated frequently in a circle along the inner wall of the beating bowl, until the raw materials are rolled into a sauce-like tea mud, which is then poured into the bowl. Boil water, sprinkle some chopped green onions, and it becomes a daily drink.
“Lei” is a very original dish in western Hunan. It is named after the method is not similar to “Lei Cha”. According to different materials and processing techniques, Lei Cai can be divided into two types, one is raw Lei, and the other is cooked Lei. The former refers to the pounding of raw materials into vegetables, and the applicable raw materials are coriander, garlic, shallots, leeks, etc. The latter means that the raw materials are roasted, fried in oil, or steamed, and then put into a mortar and pounded with seasonings. From the selection of ingredients, you can see that most of the vegetarian ingredients are used to make 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 Jianglei tea. It can be made according to the changes of the four seasons and the different conditions of the human body. According to the verification of traditional Chinese medicine, drinking lei tea often has the effects of preventing wind and removing cold, clearing the liver and improving eyesight, moistening the lungs and strengthening the stomach. A slight change in the ingredients can be very useful. Add Houttuynia cordata, Huoxiang, tangerine peel, etc., it can dispel dampness and prevent heatstroke, and it is called heatstroke prevention Leicha; plus Fengweiche, Pei Lanye, Tongqiancao, etc., it has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxification, and it is called Qingre Leicha. All of these are different.
Legend has it that Lei Cha originated from the “medicine drink” that the people in the Central Plains brewed green herbal medicine. During the process of migration, the Hakka ancestors worked hard and were easy to “get angry”. There are many herbs available in Jiangnan, and “tea” is one of them.
Tea, known as Jia in ancient times, in the “Compendium of Materia Medica” says that the main sleep is good, and it has many functions such as clearing away heat, relieving summer heat, quenching thirst, and promoting body fluid, 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-made food and drink with a strong local flavor.
After returning from labor, I can enjoy a bowl of delicious food. If it is used to wash rice, it has a fragrant fragrance and is particularly refreshing. When ordinary guests arrive, a spoonful of rice, a handful of fried beans, and mixed into the tea can be entertained. What is amazing is that Lei Cha does not exclude any “food ingredients”, and almost all foods can be added, whether it is meat or vegetarian, crude or refined. Farming materials are very convenient.
Peanuts, vermicelli, dried fruits, etc. should be cooked first, and then poured into the water; mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spices and meat should be fried separately; sesame rice flowers can be sprinkled directly into the tea. Mix well with a spoon and it’s ready. It can not only quench thirst, but also satisfy hunger. It is used for hospitality and is economical. The Hakka people are warm and hospitable, and people who eat lei tea often see a share. The more people eat, the more people eat, and the guests eat bowl after bowl.
Stars change, history changes. Nowadays, Leicha has disappeared in many places, but Kejianle still preserves this ancient food custom and is full of strong local customs. The main tools for making Lelei tea are: a beating bowl, made of clay, with an inner diameter of about one foot, in the shape of an upside-down truncated cone with a groove-shaped twist inside; a pestle, made of camellia tree trunk, about 2 feet long ; A fence, that is, a bamboo scoop for removing scum.
