Bubur Ayam

Ingredients

Porridge

• 200 gshort grain rice
• 2 litreschicken stock
• 2pandan leaves, knotted
• 1 teaspoonsalt

Chicken

• 4chicken thighs, on the bone
• 3shallots
• 3garlic cloves
• 2candlenuts
• 1 teaspoonground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoonturmeric
• 2 tablespoonsoil
• 1 stalklemongrass, bruised

Toppings

• 2cakwe, Chinese crullers, sliced
• 3 tablespoonsfried shallots
• 3 tablespoonsfried soybeans or peanuts
• 2spring onions, sliced
• a handful of Chinese celery leaves
• prawn crackers

On the table

• kecap manis, sweet soy sauce
• sambal
• kecap asin, salty soy sauce

Directions

1. Rinse the rice two or three times. Put it in a large heavy pot with the stock. Add the pandan leaves and the salt. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat right down. Let it simmer very gently indeed.
2. Stir it every ten minutes with a wooden spoon. Give it about an hour in total. Add more hot stock if it thickens too far. It should pour slowly from a ladle. Blend the shallots, garlic and candlenuts to a paste. Add the coriander and turmeric to the blender. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the paste for six to eight minutes.
3. Stir it constantly as it cooks. It should darken and smell deeply fragrant. Oil separating at the edges means it is ready. Add the chicken thighs and the lemongrass. Turn the chicken through the paste. Add enough water to half cover the pieces.
4. Cover and simmer it for thirty minutes. The chicken should be completely tender. Lift it out and let it cool a little. Shredding the chicken is done by hand.
5. Pull the meat off the bones in strips. Discard the skin and the bones. Return the shredded meat to the pan. Reduce the sauce until it clings to the meat. It should be moist rather than wet. Slice the cakwe into thin rounds. Warm them briefly in the oven to crisp them. Slice the spring onions finely. Chop the Chinese celery leaves.
6. Ladle the hot porridge into deep bowls. Pile shredded chicken over the middle. Spoon a little of its sauce over the top. Scatter fried shallots and fried soybeans. Add sliced cakwe and spring onion.
7. Add celery leaves and a prawn cracker on the side. Serving it is done immediately while hot. Put kecap manis and sambal on the table. Kecap manis is thick, dark and sweet.

Technique

• Kecap manis is a thick sweetened Indonesian soy sauce and is essential to the dish.
• Ordinary soy sauce will not do, since the sweetness is a deliberate part of the balance.

Substitutions

• Any rice will make porridge, though short grain breaks down most readily.
• Fried croutons can stand in for cakwe if none can be found.

Variations

• Some warungs add a soft-boiled egg or a chicken heart skewer.
• A version with a clear chicken broth poured over the top is common in Jakarta.
• Bubur Manado is a quite different vegetable and maize porridge from Sulawesi.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bubur Ayam?

Bubur Ayam is a breakfast from Indonesia: chicken rice porridge with crullers, soy sauce and sambal.

How long does Bubur Ayam take to make?

Bubur Ayam takes 20 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Bubur Ayam?

Yes, within limits. Any rice will make porridge, though short grain breaks down most readily. Fried croutons can stand in for cakwe if none can be found.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bubur Ayam?

Pull the meat off the bones in strips. Discard the skin and the bones. Return the shredded meat to the pan. Reduce the sauce until it clings to the meat. It should be moist rather than wet. Slice the cakwe into thin rounds. Warm them briefly in the oven to crisp them. Slice the spring onions finely. Chop the Chinese celery leaves.