Slow Cooker Filipino Champorado (Chocolate Rice Pudding)

The combination of condensed milk mixed with the cooked champorado or chocolate rice pudding or porridge is irresistible. You would want more and more of it as you eat it.   We eat this for breakfast in the Philippines accompanied with dilis (fried anchovy) or tuyo (dried fish).  The saltiness of the fish complements the sweetness and deep cocoa taste of the champorado. 

Champorado is easily prepared in the slow cooker.  Just mix a few ingredients already in your pantry and forget it.  If you have a keep warm mode in your slow cooker, you have breakfast for you prepared overnight.

When I had this as a child in the Philippines I used evaporated milk to pour over the cooked chocolate rice pudding.  Lots of evaporated milk.  I still would prefer evaporated milk if I am eating champorado for breakfast in a big bowl.  But as a dessert, I prefer pouring condensed milk instead of evaporated milk.  Somehow the evaporated milk did not satisfy me as much as the finger licking sweetness of the condensed milk when eating this amazing Filipino chocolate rice pudding as an afternoon snack or after dinner dessert.  The thick condensed milk helps thicken this luscious pudding and sweeten it to dessert status. 

Developing the slow cooker version of this delicacy took some tweaking of recipes done the traditional way that I found in the web.   For convenience since I have it in my pantry all the time, I decided to use plain long grain raw rice and not the sticky glutinous short grain one that original recipes called for and despite this, this version met my expectations in terms of the texture.  I prefer not to have too many stuff in my pantry so I pushed the envelope and used what I have.   I also used plain unsweetened Nestle cocoa powder and again I find it chocolatey enough.  I also found out that I needed more water than the original recipes so that the champorado did not stick to the slow cooker as it cooked.  I liked the deep taste of the chocolate in the finished product of this slow cooker version  which went well with the condensed milk that you pour over it later.

This is an easy and convenient method.  No need to watch the boiling of the rice chocolate mixture as in the traditional recipe.  The champorado can be stored in the refrigerator for several days and can be eaten for breakfast or as dessert during dinner time.   I actually saw champorado in shot glasses served in the famous buffet of renowned Filipino Chef Laudico's restaurant Guevarra's in San Juan, Rizal Philippines.  If this Chef finds this champorado good enough to grace his fabulous buffet, let us take a cue from him.  Try something new for your next party and serve champorado in shot glasses shown in the picture above. See your guests be pleasantly surprised how addictive this dark but delicious beauty of a recipe is.

Slow Cooker Filipino Champorado (Chocolate Rice Pudding)

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Nestle brand)
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsps sugar
• 1/2 cup raw rice (used long grain)
• 3/4 cup condensed milk (or evaporated milk)  (see introduction)

Place all the ingredients except the condensed milk in the bowl of the slow cooker.  Mix well with a fork or whisk.  Slow cook for 3 hours at high or 6 hours at low.  I cooked mine for 2 hours at slow cooker setting in an Aroma brand rice/slow cooker. 

You can eat this dish hot or cold with condensed milk poured on top according to taste.  This champorado can be kept in the refrigerator for a week.