Got ube halaya sitting in the fridge? If you're not making spanish bread or grilled cheese, consider a bowl of ube champorado. Making it is as easy as the classic chocolate version—instead of tablea, ube halaya and ube essence gives this champorado its flavor and color.
A Short History of Champorado
In the late 17th century, galleons brought chocolate to the Philippines along with Mexican champurrado: a hot chocolate beverage thickened with masa harina, the corn flour used to make tortillas.
And in the absence of masa, locals used malagkit (glutinous rice) in its stead to make Filipino champorado: a rich chocolate porridge to enjoy for breakfast or on rainy days.
What You Need to Make Ube Champorado
The Ube Base: Ube Halaya + Ube Essence
If chocolate champorado has tablea, ube champorado has ube halaya as its key ingredient.
However, it's not as straightforward as dropping halaya into your cooked rice. If you do that, you'll get a barely-purple porridge with just a whisper of flavor.
Enter ube essence, which works like a good push-up bra for ube halaya. Just a teaspoon enhances both the color and flavor, creating a vibrant ube champorado.
Once you have these two ingredients, mix them with evaporated milk in a saucepan. This forms a smooth, milky base that you can easily stir into your cooked rice.
