Recipe: Bobor Sach Mouan
Recipe by Clara Kim
Bobor (sometimes spelled "borbor" or "bawbaw") is a soupy rice porridge that's similar to congee. This is comfort food at its most approachable, and it can be made with various proteins, such as chicken, pork, or fish. You'll find it at street stalls all over Cambodia — it's an affordable and extremely popular breakfast. But you can enjoy it any time of day.
It's easy to prepare. You can keep it simple or make it as spicy as you like by adding chili crisp or black pepper. And minus the spicier additives, it’s a wonderful dish to feed a sick person — easy on the stomach and nourishing to the soul.
Serves 8+ ravenous people.
Ingredients:
For the porridge:
4 quarts water (You can substitute some of the water with chicken stock, if you like.)
2 cups jasmine rice
1 whole chicken or 6 thighs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bunch green onions (just the white parts)
1/2 teaspoon ssalt
1-2 teaspoons sugar, to taste
2 chicken bouillon cubes
For the toppings:
2 whole heads of garlic, diced and fried crispy (You cannot have too much.)
2 limes
1 bunch green onions (the green parts), thinly sliced
black pepper
fish sauce
chili crisp or chili sauce
Make the porridge:
Bring the water to a boil in a large stockpot. While you wait, rinse the rice 2 or 3 times: swirl the grains in cool water with your fingers, and pour the water out. Set the rice aside.
In a separate skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add minced garlic. Lower the heat to medium and stir the garlic gently until it is golden brown and crispy. It can burn quickly, so be alert!
Turn off the heat and strain the fried garlic. Save the oil to use later. (It's great for making a veggie stir-fry or fried rice.) Set garlic aside.
Once the water is boiling, add two tablespoons of salt. Then add the chicken.
Once the chicken is cooked through (around 20 minutes), take it out and pour in the rice. Keep stirring the rice for about 2 minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken bouillon cubes, sugar, and the rest of the salt.
Partly cover the pot and let rice simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir gently every 10 minutes. If the porridge is too thick, add more stock or water. While the porridge is cooking, pull the chicken into small pieces and set aside.
The bobor is ready when the rice has become really fluffy and the porridge has a creamy texture. Once it's cooked, add the pulled chicken and bring it back to boil just long enough to reheat the chicken.
Serve with the following topping options: fried garlic, sliced green onion, black pepper, chili crisp or chili sauce, lime juice, and fish sauce. Youtiao, or cha kway in Khmer, (Chinese fried dough sticks) are a great addition to this dish as well.
SIDE NOTE:
My mom's favorite bobor style is bobor sam jok (pictured). She always made it for my brother and me when we were sick. For bobor sam jok, chop or grind pork belly very fine, along with the white part of 3 green onions, then season with salt and pepper. Form rough meatballs out of the ground pork and green onions, and drop them into the porridge about 15 minutes before the rice is fully cooked.
Serve with the same toppings as the bobor sach mouan but add slivered ginger (about the size of a match stick, or even thinner).
