Page 113 - Our Hawker Stories

As a Singaporean, I am proud to be in a country with
an interesting and diverse food culture. We get food
from everywhere, like India, Japan, or even Thailand!
Singapore’s hawker centres serve some of the best food
options for locals and tourists.

Let me enlighten you all about my go-to favourite when
I visit the One Punggol Hawker Centre. No matter the
time, thunder tea rice will always satisfy my hunger. It is
not only rich in fibre but also rich in history.

Thunder tea rice is a bowl of rice topped with a balanced
mix of vegetables, peanuts, dried fish, and more, served
alongside a boldly flavoured green “tea soup.” This
famous dish was created over two thousand years ago in
China and is a speciality of the hakka people living in the
Guangdong Province. is one of the most delectable and healthy dishes known
in our lion city.
Over the centuries of war, the hakka migrated in many
different directions. In the fourth century, they moved Now that we know all about haka’s history, let’s go and
south in an attempt to escape the war, making their have a taste of thunderous goodness!
homes in the mountains. They were called “kejia ren”
(guest) as they did not have a province. They had
many sleepless nights, pondering whether they should
travel to further islands. That was when they decided “Every spoonful of thunder tea rice connects
to adventure into the world and went to countries me to centuries of hakka history — a taste
now known as Malaysia, Singapore, and many more. of resilience, tradition, and our Singaporean
They carried their recipes with them, no matter where melting pot.”
they went, spreading the taste of the hakka people to
everyone.
Kate Phusanisa Ianleng
We were lucky to get some of their recipes when they P6.3
came to Singapore in the early 19th century. Hakka food North Spring Primary School

Our Hawker Stories 109