In defense of champorado

Do you like champorado?

 

I do. In fact, I've had more of it for breakfast or merienda in the last two months than I have in the last two years. In September, I had the opportunity to shop at a real Filipino supermarket in San Diego. You know the kind, selling everything from Eskinol to walis tambo. Where I live, we have two Filipino stores, but their selection is always lacking. Anyway, I got a couple of boxes of White King Champ-O-Rado mix, and I'm steadily eating my way through them. 

My husband, who is generally open to all sorts of unfamiliar dishes, has seen me consume this chocolate porridge with gusto. And for the life of him, he cannot figure out the appeal. Especially when I break out the spicy tuyo, dab it dry with some paper towels and flake it over a steaming bowl of what must look like dark brown paste to him. 

Why do I like champarado? Like many other Filipinos, I grew up eating the stuff. My Tita Chit used to make them for us at Inay's house, served with a splash of evaporated milk, or better yet, coconut milk. It was good for serving to guests too, as I have memories of old ladies slurping it up during padasal at my lola's house. 

In college, I would sometimes go to the Tapa King that used to be (I heard it's not there anymore) located at the end of Esteban Abada, a quick walk from where I lived. They had champorado on their menu, complete with a side serving of tuyo, if I remember correctly. On a rainy day like today is when I enjoyed it most. I still have a mental image in my head of walking into that Tapa King in soaking wet shoes (Abada flooded easily), all for a dose of warm, chocolate-y comfort. 

So perhaps my attachment to champorado is an emotional one.  Like all Filipino food, it connects me to my past and brings me back to some good ol' times. But don't knock the flavor till you've tried it (maybe without the salty fried fish, at first). After all, who doesn't like chocolate? 

And yes, I had champorado again today. With Nido.

Photo: Asiamex.com