Whenever I asked for recommendations for lei cha fan in Johor, the names 古来大樹下擂茶 "Under the Big Tree" and 古來21哩大樹下 "21km Lei Cha" in Kulai are always among the stalls mentioned. They are actually the same stall in Kulai and is also known as Sister Ying Lei Cha 英姐擂茶.
Almost everyone in Kulai knows this humble looking lei cha stall under a big tree, off Jalan Susur Kulai 5 (near car repair shops).
Actually, that makeshift wooden cart under the big tree is just the take away section of 古來21哩大樹下擂茶 (we shall use this name for this post). The little stall has a restaurant at the back.
古來21哩大樹下擂茶 the restaurant has many tables inside and it is neat, clean and cool. The space is very comfortable and cosy with a nice kampung ambiance. I fell in love with this place immediately when I stepped inside :-D
The 蔡 family cooks all the lei cha ingredients here.
Lei cha fan is eaten with yong tou fu sides 酿豆腐 and at 古來21哩大樹下擂茶 it is cooked in small batches, so customers always get fresh piping hot yong tou fu. If you want to eat yong tou fu, you have to be alert as each batch disappears quickly, especially to take away customers ;-p
古來21哩大樹下擂茶's lei cha fan comes at RM5 a serving.
Lei cha fan is always served with a bowl of hot green coloured gruel of grounded vegetables and herbs.
The green tea is poured into the bowl of rice which is blanketed with a layer of stir fried long beans, leafy vegetables, preserved turnips, red beans, groundnuts and more.
The resulting "porridge" may not look too appetising to some, but it is delicious, nutritious and healthful.
古來21哩大樹下擂茶's lei cha is good, but what really sets this stall apart for many people is actually their yong tou fu sides 酿豆腐.
We ordered our usual favourites, chili, bringal (egg plant), bitter gourd and toufu. (RM1.50 per piece.)
Oh my. Just one bite into the oversize yong tou fu, and we fell in love with the fresh chili, egg plant and bitter gourd packed with warm sweet savoury soft juicy fillings inside.
We love it so much that we immediately got more of the same.
When we asked the friendly lady boss Ying Jie what is in that addictive filling, she just flashed us a cheeky grin :-D
There was a bottle of this "Kampong Koh" chili sauce on each table. There was a time when I was practically addicted to this "Kampong Koh" sauce when I first stumbled upon it over 15 years ago in KL. It makes everything taste better :-D
Nope, I didn't need to use any of this at all today :-D
So happy to make new friends today. These friendly ladies from a dance club in Taman Universiti came all the way to Kulai for 古來21哩大樹下擂茶. They packed home a lot of yong tau fu too.
People who love to eat are the best people :-D
The lady in middle in the purple T-shirt is Ying Jie 英姐, the lady boss.
Glad that I finally got to taste 古來21哩大樹下擂茶 lei cha after hearing so much about it :-D
->> Hometown people's choice of refreshing lei cha and meaty yong tau fu in Kulai. Definitely, one of the authentic top eats in Kulai with kampung ambiance.
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Restaurant name: 古来大樹下擂茶 | 古來21哩大樹下擂茶 | 英姐擂茶
Address: Off Jalan Susur Kulai 5, Taman Nam Tak, 81000, Kulaijaya, Johor (across the road from Petronas station)
GPS: 1.668333, 103.589081 / 1°40'06.0"N 103°35'20.7"E (Rough. Ask locals when you are here.)
Hours: 11:00am to 2:00pm (Closed on Thurs)
Non Halal
Date visited: 15 Jan 2016
i always love reading your post ... breaks my heart each time i reach to the part where non halal is written .. uwaaaaa why the food look so good ... grrrrr hungry
ReplyDeleteThank you aLiSh for your support. Yes yes, I shall hunt for more Halal food.
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