Bubur ayam

Bubur ayam is an Indonesian rice porridge made with chicken, served hot with a set of savoury toppings. It is sold widely as a breakfast food from street stalls and markets across Indonesia.

What it really is

Bubur ayam is rice cooked slowly in a large amount of water or chicken broth until it breaks down into a soft, thick porridge. The chicken is usually poached whole with ginger, garlic and aromatics, then pulled into shreds and used both to flavour the broth and as a topping. The porridge is seasoned with salt, white pepper and sometimes ginger or lemongrass.

Served bowls are finished with fried shallots, sliced spring onion, celery leaves, coriander, a little soy sauce or sweet soy sauce, and a squeeze of lime or a spoon of chilli sauce. Crisp fried crackers or fritters, such as kerupuk or cakwe, are often served on the side. Bubur ayam differs from Chinese congee, which is typically cooked from rice with less broth and served with a wider range of toppings, in its Indonesian seasoning and the standard garnish set. It also differs from plain bubur, which is a rice porridge without chicken.

How it's served

• Served hot in a bowl for breakfast, often from a street cart or a morning market stall.
• Toppings are added by the diner: shredded chicken, fried shallots, spring onion, celery and coriander.
• Soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, chilli sauce and lime are set out on the table for seasoning.
• Eaten with a spoon, usually alongside crackers such as kerupuk or a fried snack.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the dish as Bubur ayam (chicken rice porridge) and list the key ingredients: chicken, rice, fried shallots, spring onion.
• State that it contains soy sauce, which contains wheat, and that chicken broth may contain celery.
• Specify the common variants: with or without egg, with or without crackers, mild or spicy with chilli sauce.
• Note that the dish is made with chicken broth, so it is not suitable for vegetarian or vegan diners.