Herbal, hearty, healthy: Why Kuching can’t get enough of Ah Hui’s Lui Cha at Jia Jia Court

A composite picture of Voon and her Hakka-style Lui Cha.

By Wilfred Pilo

Voon Chain Hui, 39, is winning over health-conscious diners with her ‘clean eating’ Lui Cha (Thunder Tea Rice) at Jia Jia Court in the RH Plaza area in Kuching.

Better known as ‘Ah Hui’, the mother of two said she learned to prepare the traditional Hakka dish from her aunt, a well-known Lui Cha maker, before gaining the confidence to serve it at her own stall about six years ago.

“I used to sell Sarawak laksa with my husband, but I wanted to offer something that my family was known for. When the food court didn’t have Lui Cha, I saw it as an opportunity. I received strong support from the owner and other vendors,” she said.

She said she was pleasantly surprised by the response over the years.

“In the past six years, the dish has been very well received and has remained popular. I now have many regular customers who enjoy this healthy meal.

“My aunt, who still sells Lui Cha at another food court in the city, is very proud of my success—perhaps even more than I am,” she added with a laugh.

With her husband now helping in the kitchen, the couple refined the flavour of their Lui Cha to suit customer preferences. This led to her husband opening his own stall at another food court.

“So far, his venture and our plans to open another stall have brought good returns and encouraging feedback. I still credit the recipe to my aunt, but in the end, it is our own way of preparing it that suits local tastes,” she added.

Voon explained that the herbal broth is the most important element of Lui Cha. While reluctant to reveal too much of her closely guarded recipe, she said it includes a blend of fresh herbs such as basil, mint, coriander, mugwort, peanuts, and sesame seeds.

“These ingredients give the broth its slightly bitter and earthy taste,” she said with a smile.

She added that before electric grinders became common, the dish was known as ‘Thunder Tea’ because of the loud sound made when the ingredients were pounded using a mortar and pestle.

“Some people still prefer to grind the herbs manually if they have the time, especially for small family meals,” she said.

At her stall, Voon serves the herbal broth with reddish steamed rice and a mix of chopped vegetables such as long beans, preserved radish (chai po) and peanuts, all prepared using traditional methods.

Besides Lui Cha, she also sells Hakka-style kueh with radish (sengkuang) filling.

“It’s also very popular and usually sells out by midday,” she said.

Her stall, Jia Jia Court Hakka Lui Cha, operates daily from 7am to 1pm, except on public holidays. For enquiries, call 016-522 2235. — DayakDaily

Try Voon’s Lui Cha at Jia Jia Court, RH Plaza, in Kuching.