Author Notes: The onset of the chilly weather and the disastrous typhoon in the Philippines reminded me of Champorado, a rice porridge with dark chocolate, served hot during heavy rainy days for breakfast or sometimes as snack in Manila.
Champorado is made of glutinous rice or what is popularly available here in the U.S. as sushi rice. Before turning off the heat, the melted dark chocolate and sugar are added. The traditional recipe uses a dark chocolate tablet (about the size of a dollar coin and 1/2-inch in thickness) imported from Mexico brought in by the traders. Today, dark chocolate tablets are made locally in the Philippines.
Serve the Champorado hot with condensed milk and a side dish of Fried
Dried Garlic Anchovies. —thechewinn-nova.com
Food52 Review: I made this dish using sushi rice, per the recipe, which turned out to have great texture for this dish. I would not have thought to pair dark chocolate with rice like this. The porridge had great chocolate flavor. It ended up reminding me of a delicious, deeply chocolatety rice pudding. We will definitely make this again—I would use unsweetened cocoa powder and add the condensed milk sparingly to make sure the porridge doesn’t get too sweet. When serving, it could be paired with something to lighten this sweetness. I enjoyed it with fresh raspberries. —Kirsten H
Serves: 6
Ingredients
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1
cup double Dutch dark cocoa powder or 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
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1-1/2
cups sweet rice or sushi rice
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3 1/2
cups water
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1/2
cup granulated sugar
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2
teaspoons vanilla extract
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Condensed milk, for serving
Directions
- If using bittersweet chocolate chips, melt in a double boiler or heat-proof bowl over 2 cups of boiling water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Set aside.
- Wash rice in a fine strainer until water runs clear.
- Transfer to a saucepan and add water. Let it boil on medium heat. Lower heat to medium low and let it simmer for 15 minutes and stir once in a while.
- Add the cocoa powder or melted chocolate, sugar, and mix to incorporate with rice. Let it simmer for additional 3 to 5 minutes until mixture is thick.
- Turn off heat and place in individual bowls.
- Add condensed milk, to taste.
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DRIED FRIED GARLIC ANCHOVIES (Dilis; get @ Filipino or Korean stores):
In a hot skillet with 1 Tbsp oil, combine 1 cup of dried anchovies and 1 tsp garlic powder. Stir-fry for 5 minutes over medium heat. Transfer to a small bowl or breakfast plate.
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Photo by Bobbi Lin
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Photo by thechewinn-nova.com