The Healing Dish
By: Mary Santoso
In the beginning of 2019, I was incredibly sick with pneumonia. I could barely walk, I was coughing all day and all night, I threw up everything I ate, and I felt awful for a whole 2 weeks. My mother was working all day and my brother was at school, so I was home with my grandma. My grandma is in her mid 70s and she’s still mobile and healthy, but she is a little weak and needs help at times. Every day I was sick, my grandma would wake up early in the morning and the first thing she would do was make bubur ayam because it was soft enough for me to consume and I didn’t throw it up when I ate it. It took me about 3-4 weeks to fully recover, and that was how long my grandma would make bubur ayam. I never asked her to make it and frankly I didn’t want to eat it because I was so tired of eating the same dish every day. But my grandma wanted to help me when I was going through a rough time even though she needs help herself.
Bubur Ayam (Chicken Congee)
Ingredients:​
​
-
2 cups of Jasmine rice
-
10 cups of Water
-
skinless Chicken breast
-
Chicken powder
-
Salt
-
Sweet soy sauce (optional)
Directions:
​
Step 1. Bring the 10 cups of water to a boil then add the chicken. Let the chicken fully cook for about 20-30 minutes.
​
Step 2. Remove the chicken and let it cool down. Once cooled, shred the chicken into small pieces. See the chicken broth for the rice.
​
Step 3. Bring the chicken broth back to a boil then add the rice. Let it cook until it boils and thickens for about 20-30 minutes.
​
Step 4. Once fully cooked, add chicken powder and salt to taste. Then add the shredded chicken.
​
Step 5. Garnish with green onions and sweet soy sauce.
​
​
​
​
​