Breakfast of Champions
Monday, February 26, 2007
Sure, the phrase belongs to General Mills, and it makes me think of Mary Lou Retton on the Wheaties box (child of the ’80s, that’s me). But it also makes me think of champorado. After all, both words start with “champ!”
Champorado refers to a Filipino breakfast dish of chocolate rice porridge. I was talking with Whitney a few weeks ago while I had a pot of this on the stove, and mentioned this to her.
[18:25:59] Lynne: I’ve got champorado on the stove - chocolate rice soup
[18:26:30] Whitney: Holy cow! That sounds delicious!
[18:26:51] Lynne: it’s yummy!
[18:27:23] Whitney: Holy /cow/, man. I don’t know if we could get this around here.
[18:27:48] Lynne: Yeah, finding Filipino food is hard.
[18:28:38] Whitney: You guys might need to bring us some when you come our way.
So several Sundays later, I found myself down in New Jersey, making a batch of champorado for her to experience the comfort-food chocolate yumminess. Super 88 provided the malagkit rice, which can probably be substituted with any other sort of sweet rice; for the chocolate, I use what I grew up with: the tablets for Mexican hot chocolate. There are variations that use milk for the base and condensed milk as a topping; I prefer to use coconut milk and coconut cream.
Champorado
1 can coconut milk plus enough water to make 3 cups liquid total, or 3 cups regular milk and water in proportions that make you happy
half a disk (~45 grams) of Ibarra hot chocolate, split into individual tablets, or 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder + 1/2 cup sugar
dash vanilla extract
dash salt
1 cup malagkit rice, or other sweet short-grain rice
coconut cream (or condensed milk) to top
Also: 1 quart pot, whisk, spatula
Instructions: Pour coconut milk and water into pot, and add hot chocolate. Over low heat, stir with the whisk, and as the chocolate tablets soften, chip away at them until the chocolate has dissolved into the liquid. Add the vanilla, then the rice, and cook ~15 minutes, stirring frequently so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. It will slowly thicken as you stir it; when the consistency is like porridge, it’s done. Divide into serving bowls (serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a full meal). Stir the coconut cream well, and top the champorado with it.