Bubur Asyura

This food post is dedicated to my friend Rehana who’s gonna be leaving for Saudi Arabia this Friday. She’s a Muslim, and in case you don’t know, their holy season of Ramadan has just begun. To all my Muslim friends and classmates out there, check this recipe out! Guaranteed to keep you going the whole day while you fast =) To all the others, Bubur Asyura (a savoury congee rich in carbohydrates and protein) will make a great breakfast meal coz it will fill you right up. No need to eat fattening snacks before lunch! Ain’t that a great way to stay trim?? Here are the ingredients:

2 cups of jasmine rice, washed and drained
2 large onions, sliced
10 shallots
3 pcs garlic, chopped and minced
2 cm of fresh ginger, thinly shredded
2 cm cinnamon stick
6 cloves, 4 star anise, 4 cardamon
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup yellow dhal
300 gms of freshly peeled prawns
½ cup cup of fried dried shrimps, pounded coarsely
10 cups of coconut milk, extracted from one coconut
½ cup of fried dessicated coconut, pounded
1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves
4 stalks of spring onions, thinly sliced
pandan leaves, lemongrass
fresh black peppercorn, pounded
salt to taste
sufficient water for the congee

Whew! That was quite a long list of ingredients, hehe! And it’s mostly herbs you can just forego if you don’t like spices that much. You can just season the food to your taste, much like the way we eat our “lugaw” or congee. Some cook it like our light-colored arroz caldo (see it here), while others cook it dark (it's here). By the way, I got this recipe from the Asian Food Channel so I get they modified it already. And now, to cook our Bubur Asyura:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot, and fry the onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, spices, pandan leaves and lemongrass until golden brown.

2. Add the rice and dhal, and slowly fry for three minutes before adding sufficient water to boil the rice. This will take about 20 minutes, or until the entire mixture starts to thicken in consistency.

3. Add the coconut milk, prawns, dried shrimps and the rest of the ingredients, and simmer the congee gently over slow heat. Remember to stir the congee from time to time to avoid burning it. And we’re finished! =) Serve the savoury porridge while still hot ok? Bon appetit!

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