Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Indonesian Bubur Manado Vegetable Porridge
印尼萬鴉老雜菜粥
Recipe overview
Rice cooks into a loose silky porridge with pumpkin, sweet potato, corn and two leafy greens added in stages for a naturally sweet, savoury Manado meal without meat.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 180 g white rice (rinse until the water is mostly clear and drain)
- 1.8 litres water (keep extra hot water ready to adjust consistency)
- 300 g pumpkin (peeled, seeded and cut into 2 cm cubes)
- 250 g orange sweet potato (peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes)
- 1 cob fresh corn (kernels cut off, about 180 g)
- 150 g water spinach (stems cut into 3 cm lengths and leaves kept separate)
- 120 g spinach (washed and cut into lengths)
- 20 g Indonesian basil leaves (picked and added at the end)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 stalk lemongrass (tender white part bruised)
- 2 spring onions (sliced for serving)
- 30 g fried shallots (for serving)
Porridge seasoning
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 2 tsp salt (add gradually and adjust to taste)
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
02
Tools
- 5-litre heavy saucepan
- wooden spoon or heatproof rice paddle
- cutting board and chef's knife
- measuring jug and kitchen scale
- sieve
- small frying pan
03
Steps
Step 1
Clean and rinse the rice
Wash hands and sanitize the work surface, then rinse every vegetable. Rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear and drain it in a sieve.
Step 2
Cut the roots and corn
Cut pumpkin and sweet potato into even 2 cm cubes. Stand the corn securely and slice the kernels downward, keeping the blade directed away from the body.
Step 3
Separate stems and leaves
Keep water-spinach stems apart from the leaves and cut stems into 3 cm lengths. Cut spinach, rinse both leafy portions again and drain well.
Step 4
Fry the garlic
Heat oil in the saucepan over medium heat and fry garlic for about 45 seconds until fragrant but not brown, which would make the porridge bitter.
Step 5
Start rice with lemongrass
Add rice, 1.8 litres water and bruised lemongrass. Bring to a boil, immediately lower to a gentle simmer, half-cover and cook 15 minutes, scraping the base every 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 6
Cook sweet potato first
Add sweet potato and simmer for 10 minutes. Maintain a gentle bubble, stir the base and add only hot water if the rice absorbs too much liquid.
Step 7
Add pumpkin and corn
Add pumpkin and corn kernels and simmer another 12 minutes until the sweet potato is cooked through, pumpkin is soft and corn is piping hot.
Step 8
Mash pumpkin and adjust
Mash about one third of the pumpkin against the pan with the wooden spoon to thicken naturally. If too thick, add hot water in 100 ml portions until the porridge flows slowly.
Step 9
Cook water-spinach stems
Stir in water-spinach stems and cook for 3 minutes until bright green and just tender, stirring so every piece heats evenly.
Step 10
Wilt the tender leaves
Add water-spinach leaves and spinach and cook 2 minutes until fully wilted and bubbling hot; avoid a prolonged hard boil that turns the leaves grey.
Step 11
Season and add basil
Remove lemongrass, add salt and white pepper, then stir in basil for 30 seconds over low heat. Confirm rice is completely soft, root vegetables crush easily and the whole pot has returned to a bubble.
Step 12
Rest and serve hot
Turn off the heat and rest 3 minutes. Divide evenly into four bowls, add spring onion and fried shallots, serve hot, and refrigerate leftovers within two hours.
Common mistakes
- Adding every vegetable together so leaves overcook while sweet potato stays hard.
- Failing to scrape the base once the porridge thickens.
- Adding a large amount of cold water and stopping the simmer.
- Leaving fibrous lemongrass in the serving bowls.
Tips
Mash more or less pumpkin to control thickness without starch.
Cooking stems before leaves keeps both textures pleasant.
Add fried shallots only at serving so they remain crisp.
