For some reason, we didn’t eat much champorado or tsampurado or chocolate rice pudding in our home when I was growing up. That is a real surprise, since my mother’s ancestral home in a coastal Boholano town was located close to lots of cacao trees and she was an expert at brewing up superlative cups of hot chocolate from tablea. Since I didn’t grow up with this dish that is considered comfort food by many, I wondered if I could acquire a taste for it as an adult. In Cebu the other week, I asked if anyone knew how to make this and one of my office colleagues volunteered to attempt cooking it. A mixture or regular and sticky rice was boiled up with extra water to ensure that is was a bit soupy. Then to this we added some tablea that had been crushed and dissolved in hot water. Some brown sugar was added to taste and it yielded a nice but relatively soupy version. We served this with evaporated milk swirled into the top of the bowl like some television commercials of old. The chocolate flavor wasn’t intense enough for me and it seemed like the rice pudding equivalent with milk chocolate (not dark intense chocolate) bars in it… The first attempt is the one photographed in these photos…
The next day, we used THREE times the amount of tablea and made a really thick sludgy chocolate mixture that was again added to the mixture of regular and sticky rice. 
This attempt yielded a much more chocolately champorado and with the milk added I could see how this would be a childhood favorite. Most of the champorado recipes you see today use far more readily available cocoa powder, for convenience obviously, but I suspect replacing tablea with cocoa powder yields a much less authentic flavor. There is a rawer aspect to tablea that gives the champorado verve, while cocoa is just too smooth…but who am I to say that, I have only ever had champorado a few times in my life… What about you guys? Have any particularly good tricks to an excellent bowl of champorado? Do you use all sticky rice? Do you add other types of chocolate to recipe? Leave me a comment if you can help create the ultimate champorado… Thanks!
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some eat this with tuyo. . . I don’t know why, for me it doesn’t match at all. . . one time, my classmates cooked champorado and tuyo in school and the chef was just so disgusted . . . hehe but everyone was laughing and asked him to try it, well i still can’t figure out how they can eat it together. . .
I use half and half glutinous rice (malagkit) and shortgrain rice, with about a cup of Hershey’s powdered cocoa, boiling it with a soupy consistency. I then add evaporated milke and white sugar to taste.
I often serve this with fried dried dilis instead of tuyo for breakfast.
I grew up with instant champorado, but I’ve tasted the authentic ones made with tablea a few times and they’re more appealing now that I’m older because of the darker chocolate taste.
Like Ted, I eat it with dilis — those really small ones — and even dunk the dilis in vinegar sometimes before I eat it alongside the champorado. I think it’s a Filipino thing, mixing sweet with salty with sour…
i grew up eating this. my mom used water and Hershey’s cocoa powder. here’s how i do it:
— boil Japanese sweet sticky rice in whole milk (not water and not 2% milk either)
— keep adding milk as it will get dry
— keep stirring until rice is plump and soft
— add good unsweetened dark cocoa powder (i use “dutched” Valrhona if available otherwise i just use Scharfen Berger, Godiva or Ghirardelli in that order)
— add as much white sugar as your palate dictates for sweetness
enjoy!
I only tried making champorado with shortgrain rice but in my childhood days, our Ilongga neighbor would really cook it with glutinous rice, tablea, brown sugar mixed with coconut milk… and then paired with grilled tuyo. The saltiness of the tuyo together with the sweetness of the champorado made a deep “inculturation” of how my sense of taste for food develop…I guess. Somehow, I also find eating champorado more pleasurable during rainy afternoons. Weird,’no :-)?
Champorado is comfort food for me. I have it two ways: I make use of dutch processed cocoa and all-sticky rice for a plain, rich, chocolatey champorado or I just add a cup or more of powdered milk to the chocolate mixture prior to boiling, then I add a swirl of fresh milk or powdered milk…depends really on what mood I am in.I also like it with texture, thick, so mine is not the soupy type. Either way, champorado tops the list of my fave breakfast treats.
I grew up on this fare, complete with tuyo, daing, budo (burong isda) or barol–big dried fishes that I seem to find only in our home province, Leyte; although such kostumbre (custom) we practice even here in Manila, and to this day. We use local glutinous rice and tablea–ours is pure cacao, no sweeteners unlike those from other provinces or those available in groceries. We sweeten our champorado with panutsa, flaked and dissolved in the champorado while cooking. Our big round tablea (though rather small, flat circles these days) are also flaked or grated beforehand then properly dissolved and mixed in water with a baterol before being added to the rice. When the champroado is done, one can put milk (evaporated, condensada, whatever) on it if one so wishes.
I am a true probinsiyana. Commercial cocoa powder, even hershey’s, cannot compete with the authentic tablea for champorado or a cocoa drink. Panutsa may be replaced with muscovado or brown sugar if it’s not available. And glutinous rice all the way is best as far as my tastebuds are concerned.
Champorado is definitely comfort food for me and my family and although nothing beats homemade champorado from scratch, one of the best would have to be Antonio Pueo’s Double Chocolate Champorado. I have been giving this away as presents to family and friends and have always gotten positive feedback. Unfortunately, they only carry the cacao for hot chocolate in leading supermarkets. They’re usually found in the Karl Edward Bazaar at the NBC Tent but the next one isnt up till June. They give free samples too which is a great bonus =)
I miss eating champorado with buwad danggit…
I use Nestle’s unsweetened cocoa powder with steel cut oats instead of rice in my champorado for breakfast.
beef tapa is our family’s favorite partner for champorado. however, i just got some very nice unsalted daing na espada (“diwit” in cabuano; i don’t know what they’re called in english)and they were excellent with this morning’s champorado (made with kablon farms’ pure tablea)!
My grandma, only eats and makes champorado the old-fashioned way, she would cringed at my mom’s own version. Though she makes really great champorado that no one comes close it wasn’t a favorite of mine. And since we have abundant supply of tableas we have this often. To me its like “lugaw na matamis”, I thought it was yucky but I appreciate it during a stormy day. She uses half glutinous rice too and a bunch of tablea. Usually boil water and dissolve the tablea before adding the mix of rice, and panocha. Sometimes she adds some coconut cream instead of milk. She sprinkle some tuyo flakes to serve it plus some bland but chewy cookies on the side for accompaniment.
My mom’s version is too use chocolate powder plus left over chocolate bars in the fridge. Sometimes she doesnt need to add sugar then she serves it topped with crushed chicharon and a dollop of cream. Fatty!
we mix equal measures of malagkit and dinorado rice, then boil with crushed tablea (as much as you want) and sufficient water to acquire that thick stewy consistency. my husband likes champorado with milk, sugar and crispy fried dilis. i couldn’t for the life of me understand why until i tried it: the contrast between sweet and salty-crispy is unusual but well .. okay. still not too keen on it though, and will eat champorado on its own.
What are the proportions of rice, water, and tablea? Somehow the champorado at home cooked by our helper taste like brown paste, blech!
the only champorado that suits my standards is my grandmothers hehe… thick and really chocolatey (tablea of course) with just a bit of evaporated milk! i eat my champorado with…erm bacon hehehe. anything sweet and salty goes ü i did use to get “eeeew chocolate rice!” comments from whenever i brought some to school in new york.
most people find it really weird when champorado is paired with tuyo, i have no idea but i grew up liking it..it must be the tradition of putting it together like puto and dinuguan, suman, mangoes and hot choco for some..the sweetness of champurado mixing with the saltiness of tuyo makes it heavenly..and just when it is cold and rainy outside, there is no better comfort food than this pair :)
I like mine without tuyo or anything salty. Just sweet, now that winter is almost near I might attempt to make it. If worse comes to worse I can use the boxed version, even thought it may not taste the same.
me, too, i didn’t eat this when I was a child, but I do eat the lugaw.
i eat champurado with tuyo all the time. ang sarap pag winter.
I enjoy mine with dilis. The small ones that are not so salty. We use tablea or Hersey’s, half malangkit half regular rice. Our version is thick and not so soupy then we add milk and sugar. Best during rainy days.
it was instant champorado mixes for me paired with crispy bacon bits when i was growing up. im not a fan of daing and other smoked fish so bacon did it for me to get that sweet and salty combo.
I’m not really sure how my Lola made her champorado but it’s the best I’ve tasted. She’d make this for us during rainy days whenever school got called off Ãœ
I used to serve chocolate risotto in the restaurant where i work. Like all risottos, I start off with italian arborio which is sauteed in sweet butter, then instead of stock, i use whole milk. Towards the end of cooking, chopped dark callebaut chocolate is stirred in. It’s pure heaven bruleed with muscovado sugar and topped with pistachio ice cream.
What do you think MM? An improved champorado or a bastardization of a Pinoy classic? =) hehe
I grew up as a champorado fanatic and now that we are US based, we had to concoct our “local” version. We use the Antonio Pueo unsweetened tablets with shortgrain Calrose rice and canned coconut milk (gata), sugar. It just tastes so much better than the regular milk or evap version and brings back that unadulterated provincial taste.
Champorado is the champ comfort food in our house during the monsoon months when i was growing up. Mom pairs it up with tuyo, daing, tapa etc even with biko. Dad use to say the best champorado is when the rice (50/50 glutinous and regular) is cooked such that the grains are still in the “un-putok” stage pero malambot na then add the thick tableas dissolved in a small amount of the hot lugaw and white sugar. serve with milk or coco milk on the side.
My farmer grandparent’s bread and butter is cacao and coffee beans, so we grow up with hot choco in the morning and champorado as afternoon merienda. One time my lolo experimented with making the milk chocolate, milk & sugar is not the major factor, it is in the roasting and grinding of the beans! I have confirmed this when I was already exposed to fine European chocolates and have seen this in the shops in Brussels- the never ending chocolate mill/grinder displayed in window shops. Here in northern mindanao where I am based, the best tablea is from Camiguin carrying the Maestrado brand, Kablon of Cotabato comes next. We use plain rice in our champorado, what matters most is the tablea.
I loved my abuelita’s champorado! I don’t know how she made it though…I had mine with condensada or Birch Tree milk poweder instead of regular milk, so it would become even thicker…MMMM!
I only had champorado in my abuelita’s place…my mom never made it. At home, my brother and I used to put Milo in our oatmeal to pretend it was champorado!
when we were young my mom uses antonio pueo, grew up with it, always thought it is a MUST for a good champorado….now, she also use homemade chocolate balls which were gifts from a good friend from laguna….they are really good, just don’t know if they are marketed commercially …..
I love champorado with tuyo. My Mom used to add a cup of strong barako coffee to the champorado for stronger flavor. We all loved it.
I absolutely love champorado with evap milk. Now, we add oatmeal to the glutinous rice to make it a bit healthier.
I love champorado but like it with lots of milk. I dislike smelly foods like daing or tuyo so I eat mine with Cheddar cheese instead. I chop the cheese into small cubes or into thin strips and mix it into the champorado. I know that sounds weird but try it…you might like the combination. My cousins who tried it my way seem to like it too.
Nanay makes this with equal parts glutinous rice and regular rice, a whole pack of tablea from Samar and muscovado sugar. We only mix the evap milk when served. Also, we love pairing it with tinapang salinas or flaked tuyo. As a kid, i would dunk my pandesal in my champorado cause i wasn’t allowed to drink coffee.
make champorado with half glutinous and half regular rice. Use Hershey’s cocoa powder. Don’t add so much sugar, i use splenda since I am diabetic. Don’t forget to add a pinch or two of salt. I love it with tuyo, danggit and any dried salted fish….sarap….
omg.
i love rice pudding so much
it makes my day every morning when i eat it for breakfast
it makes me want to go crazy and run around in the sand pit outside my house
i love plad.
its pretty much my life
but rice pudding beats it out because it tastes so amazing
accept it looks like beans
so i told my friend katie to never ever beans again
becasue of this one little problem we had at our other friend rylees house
it wasn’t good
and jessica likes orange tasteing water?
k I LOVE RICE PUDDING
A nice reminder of the chocolate lugao my mom use to make when we were growing up here in metro nyc. Happy Father’s Day to you.
Mmmm…tsamporado!!! My Yaya used to make it with grated dark chocolate AND powdered chocolate. When my sister and I were children, we had more “American” tastes. I think I remember Yay making it with oatmeal sometimes to please our “American” palates. Now that I am grown and appreciate more tunay na Pinoy things, oatmeal seems a poor substitute for malagkit. I prefer it with tuyo or dilis like many who have posted here. The funny thing is, my husband is American, so cooking tuyo is a little off-putting for him. So now my “American” substitute is bacon or country ham. Angsarap, especially the country ham. No substitute for the tuyo (my favorite), though, so I still sneak it in when he’s not around! ;-)
My mommyla makes great champorado (notice a theme here, all the champorado experts are our grandmas?). She often serves it with flaked tuyo or this dried fish from Bicol called nyuluk (new look?). Ang sarap lalo na pag signal number 3 na ang bagyo…
i just like it w/ milk and a bit of sugar.. especially on a rainy day.. comfort food! :D
my version is ordinary rice, “ricoa” cocoa powder and white sugar,
i add evaporated milk when it is served not when its cooked.
then put some “Chippy” or “granny goose tortillas chips” on top.
Sarap !
Put the left over refrigerated (not frozen),
then just put milk and it becomes ice cream champorado.
Sarap !
CHAMPION RADO!! this is an absolute Comfort food in our Household up to this Day. Unfortunately i haven’t had this for the longest now. Tuyo and daing seems an odd combination but i could imagine the complexity of champurado fighting the saltiness of the Fish? :)
Imagining further, sounds looks like a chocolate fish contortion, heeehee. And did champurado originate from our hispanic Heritage? I know the “Mexican Chapurrado” is Chocolate based drink with Hominy flour and anise or vanilla bean, that they use to serve for Breakfast. Sometimes mixed with alcohol? Was ours purely a Pinoy version where we added Glutinous rice or regular rice, hence kicking it up a notch?
Nanay used to make champorado from freshly grounded cacao beans and peanuts. This pasty blend was available in the public market of Hulo, Malabon City. Cacao/peanut ratio? beats me. I guess the peanut imparts the right amount of saltiness to the dish, aside from the added linanam of peanut oil. She used a mix of malagkit and regular rice to yield the right consistency. Served with milk (evap) and sugar on the side. Eat chamoprado with pritong tuyo or tapang baka(crispy,drier version) for that “agaw tamis at alat” experience.
Mr MM. I have never had champorado with my entire life. I think growing up in a chinese family, my dad never serve champorado. I know its odd. I’m going to make my own champorado this week.