Spring is finally here! The past week was very sunny, and the weather was quite pleasant – hovering around 20 degrees, just the way I like it. But this week, we are back to cloudy days, and it’s been a bit chilly. And on days like this, my Filipino tummy cries for warm comfort food: lugaw, champorado, lomi, chicken sopas.
I had this ready-made champorado in box, which I bought from Szep Kis India last year but never got around to using it. I was pissed to find out it expired.
But now I know how easy it is to make champorado from scratch! You don’t even need sticky rice/bigas na malagkit; plain Jasmine will do, which is what I always have on hand anyway.
This is similar to the tejberizs (rice pudding) that’s also quite loved by Hungarians.
You will need:
- 1 cup Jasmine rice, washed
- 5-6 cups of water
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- Milk and sugar to taste
Let’s cook!
- In a pot, mix rice and water and bring to a boil, stirring every now and then so the rice does not stick to the bottom. This process takes about 15-20 minutes.
- Add cocoa powder little by little, stirring to dissolve.
- Stir continuously until rice is cooked and the cocoa is fully incorporated.
- Serve hot with milk and sugar.
This truly brought me back to Sunday mornings at home, with the smell of my grandmother’s hot champorado filling the air. Such contentment.
