Chicken Porridge (Bubur Ayam)

Bubur Ayam is a kind of popular food in Indonesia. Originally, it comes from Betawi (natives of Jakarta) cuisine, but now you can meet bubur ayam everywhere in Indonesia. Usually it is sold by vendors that walk around kampong with gerobak (a kind of wagon with two wheels). You also can get bubur ayam in kedai bubur ayam or chicken porridge booth in the morning or evening. There are two kind of major bubur ayam in Indonesia; Bubur Ayam Sukabumi (chicken porridge from Sukabumi, West Java) and Bubur Ayam Cina (Chinese Chicken Porridge). The differences between two of them are: Chinese Chicken Porridge use salty soy sauce, angciu (Chinese gin) and sesame seed oil, whether Sukabumi Chicken Porridge use sweet soy sauce and use some herbs for seasoning. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Porridge
200 gr rice
2000 ml water
2 bay leaves
3 teaspoon salt

Broth
600 gr chicken
1000 ml water
2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon cooking oil
½ cm nutmeg, grind
½ teaspoon pepper powder
1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce

Spice, grind:
10 cloves of shallot
3 cloves of garlic
1 cm saffron / curcuma
1 teaspoon coriander
5 kemiri (Aleurites moluccana)

Topping:
Cooking oil for frying
½ boiled chicken (that is already taken from its broth)
2 celery, sliced thin
50 gr soy bean, put in water for about 1 hour, dried
100 gr red crackers, fried

How to make it:

1. Porridge
• Cooked rice with water and bay leaves until the rice is broken, add salt.
• Cooked for about 60 minutes until it becomes thick porridge. If it is needed, you can add water.
2. Broth
• Boiled chicken with water and salt until it becomes tenderly.
• Separate the broth for about 1 liter, you can add hot water if it is needed.
• Stir fry grind spices with cooking oil until it is cooked put into the broth.
• Add nutmeg, pepper powder, sweet soy sauce, boiled.
• Now the broth is ready.
3. Topping
• Fried chicken until it cooked perfectly.
• Then use your fingers to cut the chicken into small thin shreds ('suwir' in Javanese; there is no Indonesian word for it).
• Sliced thin celery.
• Fried soy bean and red crackers until they are crispy.
4. Serving
• Put porridge in a bowl.
• Add the broth and the toppings on top of it.
• Served warm.

Recipe’s source: Bubur Gurih dan Legit, Seri Masak Femina Primarasa, PT. Gaya Favorit Press, with a little of modification.