Indonesian Style Chicken Congee (Bubur Ayam)

Has anyone seen the new Disney movie Raya yet? My boys and I have, multiple times. And for my oldest, it’s all he talks about (after Minecraft, of course). Southeast Asians, if you’re debating with yourselves if you should see it, I say go ahead. It’s beautiful. For me, it was a way of introducing a little something of my roots to my boys, who were born and bred in Europe, thus having little knowledge of the Indonesian/Asian culture. I absolutely enjoyed spotting the little cultural Easter eggs in the movie and explaining to the boys what they meant and why people in Southeast Asia do it. But enough about the movie. Let’s talk food. Why the intro on the movie, though? Simply because there’s a scene where congee gets a spotlight. And just like that, my oldest son asked what that dish is and requested that I make it one time for dinner. Naturally I did and he said it’s his third favorite dish (after burger and pizza – we’ll work on that! :D) It was probably the proudest moment of my Asian mom-career. 🙂

So, here we are. There are of course different types of congee, but I decided on introducing my boys to the Indonesian congee first – the famous and unbeatable Bubur Ayam. Now, this is definitely not a quick recipe and I definitely don’t make this on the daily basis (or any basis, for that matter). But it is a recipe worth knowing, nonetheless.

Indonesians typically eat this for breakfast. It’s sold off of a street food cart and is a popular dish to enjoy together with your jogging buddy after a good run. A good bowl of bubur after a long workout? A reward I wouldn’t want to miss! 🙂

Let’s talk about the congee itself first. Typically, broken rice grains are used for congee. It is said that the broken rice grains will release more starch when cooked and so produce a silky smooth congee. Also it will reduce the cooking time. I don’t know about the starch, but I can definitely vouch on the cooking time. I’ve tried making congee with ‘normal’ rice grains in the past and it did take a while longer. So, when making congee, if you can get your hands on broken rice grains, definitely go for them. Also, you want to make sure that you have enough broth or stock while cooking the rice. I always have at least double the amount ready and keep adding to reach the perfect consistency.

Can broth or stock be substituted by water while cooking the congee? Absolutely. However, you won’t get the richness and the depth in your congee. For aromatics, the typical stuff that go into the congee is ginger and sometimes bay leaves. However, in Indonesian congee lemongrass is also commonly found. The lemongrass, in my opinion, gives that extra special comforting flavor.

Now, the kuah kuning, yellow soup. This is essential in Bubur Ayam. It adds more flavor and fragrance to the congee. It’s also actually quite easy, at least in my recipe it is. Cook it on medium low heat and forget about it until you’re ready to serve.

Next, the toppings. The shredded chicken is obviously compulsory, seeing as the name of the dish is literally chicken congee. Everything else is an added bonus. For example, you’ll usually find sliced youtiao or cakwe (Chinese Breadsticks) as a topping. I’ll have a recipe on that coming up 😉 However, for texture, I do recommend adding crunchy toppings like fried soy beans or fried shallots. Also, if you like heat, definitely add the sambal.

How do you even eat this thing? Well, we’ll come to that later. Let’s talk about assembly. It’s pretty straightforward, actually. First you ladle the congee into a bowl, then a scoop of the kuah kuning. The chicken comes in the centre, and all around it, the other toppings. Now to eat it. If you ask Indonesians how to eat bubur ayam, you will find that we are very divided here. Some will tell you to leave it layered as it is and scoop a mouthful each time, others will tell you to mix it all up so that you’ll get everything in one bite. I fall into the latter. Yes, it might look icky, but you really do get to taste everything and each mouthful. But, I leave it up to you – you do you! 🙂

Cheers, Revi