Champorado Recipe

Champorado was a great part of my childhood, a dish I equate with a caring heart and giving spirit. I can not eat a bowl of this chocolate-rich breakfast rice porridge without remembering my mother’s eldest sister who we collectively and affectionately called Mamang Vi. One of my fondest memories of her were the weekends when she’d cook a large casserole of champorado, portion into bowls and deliver to each of her siblings’ household. Mamang never had a family of her own as she spent the majority of her selfless life tirelessly helping her brothers and sisters provide for their own families. Her many nephews and nieces became her children. Sharing her champorado was just one of the many examples of how she instilled in us the firm tenet that family will always be family. And now, even though the four generations of our family are mostly dispersed around the globe, we remain tight-knit and in close communication due to her legacy.

Champorado

Ingredients

• 1 cup glutinous rice
• 4 cups water
• 4 pieces tablea chocolate
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk

Instructions

1. In a deep pot over medium heat, add water and bring to a boil. Add rice and stir to distribute. Lower heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until rice begins to expand.
2. Add tablea and cook, stirring regularly, until chocolate has melted. Continue to cook until rice is translucent and liquid is reduced to desired consistency. Add sugar and continue to cook, stirring regularly, until dissolved.
3. Ladle onto bowls, drizzle with evaporated milk and serve hot.