Thousands of miles from where the 2,000-year-old grain bowl called lei cha, or "thunder tea rice", was first created in China, Hakka chef Pang Kok Keong has reworked the ancient delicacy in his Singapore kitchen for a new generation of healthy eaters.

Thunder tea rice – a bowl of rice topped with a balanced mix of vegetables, peanuts, dried fish and more, served alongside a boldy flavoured green "tea soup" – is a specialty of the Hakka people in Guangdong Province. The Hakka, of which there are many groups, originated in China's Central Plains. Over centuries of war, they migrated in many directions. In the 4th Century, they moved south to escape famine and war, making their home in the mountains. It was here they were given a new name by locals.

"[They were] called Kejia Ren (Guest People) because they do not have a province of their own," says anthropologist Dr Vivienne Wee. Centuries later, the Hakka journeyed further to countries such as Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, taking their recipes with them, including thunder tea rice.