In the Indonesian culinary world, bubur is found in every province across the archipelago from Aceh to Papua. Chicken rice porridge is one of the examples. This popular dish is a mixture of rice porridge enriched with chicken broth and served with shredded fried tofu, chicken meat, fried cakwe (Chinese crullers), chopped scallion, celery and topped with fried shrimp crackers.
Bubur ayam, or chicken porridge, is everybody’s favorite breakfast meal and is available at warungs traditional food vendors, street cart vendors and even in restaurants at luxury hotels. Even American fast food chains in Indonesia include chicken porridge in their breakfast packages. Other favorite bubur meals are bubur ketan hitam, black glutinous rice porridge, and bubur kacang hijau, mung bean porridge. In Denpasar, people frequently see street cart vendors selling bubur ketan hitam and bubur kacang hijau as they walk the streets. For local residents, these are the most delicious and affordable breakfast food. The bubur sellers often find public parks and office complexes to be strategic sites for their businesses. A bowl of bubur kacang hijau or bubur ketan hitam is sold for only Rp 3,000.
If you have enough time, you can also cook bubur at home.
Cooking bubur ketan hitam is very easy. Wash the black glutinous rice, which you can buy from the nearest traditional market. Boil the rice in water with a few pandanus leaves to add a delicious fragrant smell to the porridge. Cook the rice until thickened, then add a little salt and brown sugar. Bubur ketan hitam is served with coconut milk and eaten while still warm.