Filipino Champorado

Champorado has always been familiar to me. Its a filipino chocolate rice porridge thats equal parts warm, comforting, and nostalgic. But it wasn’t until I traveled through the Philippines that I truly understood what makes it special.

On a recent trip, I found myself tasting sikwate, a rustic and traditional Filipino hot chocolate. Throughout the islands of Cebu, Bacolod, and Iloilo, each place served its own version. Some were thicker, some darker, some barely sweet. What tied them all together was one ingredient I didn’t fully know before: Filipino tablea.

That deep, almost bitter chocolate flavor isn’t from cocoa powder. It comes from pure cacao tablets, traditionally made and used across the Philippines. Discovering tablea felt like discovering something new that had always been there familiar, but finally understood.

This is a simple, classic Filipino champorado recipe, made the way I cook it now at home.

Ingredients

1/2 cup glutinous rice (malagkit), rinsed

3 cups water

2–3 pieces Filipino tablea (can also 1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate)

2–3 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)

Pinch of salt

Evaporated milk, for serving

1. Add the rice and water to a pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is soft and thick, about 15 minutes.

2. Add the tablea and stir until fully melted and smooth.

3. Stir in the sugar and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust as needed.

4. Simmer another 2–3 minutes until thick and glossy.

Breakfast, merienda, or dessert is served