Bubur ayam (Indonesian andMalay for "chicken congee") is a chickencongee dish served in Southeast Asia. It isrice congee with shredded chicken meat served with some condiments, such as choppedscallion, crispy friedshallot,celery,tongcay or chai poh (preserved vegetables), friedsoybean, crullers (youtiao, known ascakwe in Indonesia andcakoi in Malaysia), both salty andsweetsoy sauce, and sometimes topped with yellow chicken broth andkerupuk (Indonesian-style crackers). Unlike many other rice dishes, the dish is not spicy as thesambal or chili paste is often served separately. It is a favouritebreakfast food, served by humble travelling vendors,warung (small local shops),fast food establishments, and five-star hotel restaurants. Travellingbubur ayam vendors frequently pass through residential streets in the morning selling the dish.[1][2]
Abubur ayamstreet vendor cart frequents residential areas every morning in Jakarta.
The origin ofbubur ayam was derived from Chinese chicken congee. The traces ofChinese cuisine influences are the use ofcakwe (youtiao),tongcay or chai poh andsoy sauce.[3]Bubur ayam employs a wide range of poultry products, such as shredded chicken meat for the main dish and many other dishes made with chickenoffal as side delicacies.Bubur ayam is often eaten with the addition of boiledchicken egg,chicken liver,gizzard,intestines anduritan (premature chicken eggs acquired from butchered hens), served assatay. There are some variants ofbubur ayam, such asbubur ayamBandung andbubur ayamSukabumi, both fromWest Java.[4] The later variant uses rawtelur ayam kampung (lit. "village chicken egg", i.e.free-range eggs) buried under the hot rice congee to allow the egg to be half-cooked, with the other ingredients on top of the rice congee.[5] The recipe and condiments ofbubur ayam served by travelling vendors andwarung are also slightly different with those served in fast food establishments or hotel restaurants.
Because this food is always served hot and with a soft texture, likesoto ayam andnasi tim,bubur ayam is known ascomfort food inIndonesian culture. The soft texture of the rice congee and boneless chicken also makes this dish suitable for young children or adults in convalescence. Because of its popularity,bubur ayam has become one of the Asia-inspiredfast food menu items atMcDonald's Indonesia[6] and Malaysia,[7] and also atKentucky Fried Chicken Indonesia.[8] Although almost all recipes ofbubur ayam use rice, a new variation, calledbubur ayam havermut, replaces rice withoats.[9] In grocery stores,bubur ayam is also available asinstant food, requiring only the addition of hot water.[10]
