Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted Squash
- 400 g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and diced into 1.5cm cubes
- 15 ml olive oil
- 3 g kosher salt
Porridge Base
- 400 g cooked white jasmine rice, preferably day-old
- 900 ml chicken broth, unsalted or low-sodium
- 15 g fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
- 10 g garlic, finely minced
- 15 ml fish sauce
- 120 ml half and half
Brown Butter & Garnish
- 45 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 15 g scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 352 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 45 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Sodium
- 1446 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 8 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 39 mg
- Potassium
- 488 mg
- Calcium
- 104 mg
- Iron
- 1.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 50 mg
- Phosphorus
- 81 mg
- Zinc
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 640 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 23 mg
- Vitamin E
- 2.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 13 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.16 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.22 mg
- Niacin
- 1.9 mg
- Folate
- 33 mcg
- Water
- 343 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss the diced butternut squash with olive oil and kosher salt. Spread out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes until tender and caramelized around the edges.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the cooked jasmine rice, chicken broth, minced ginger, and minced garlic. Bring to a lively simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low.
In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter. Continue to cook, swirling the pan continuously, for about 3 to 5 minutes until the milk solids turn a deep golden brown and smell nutty. Immediately transfer to a small heatproof bowl to stop the cooking.
Once the porridge has reached your desired consistency, turn off the heat. Stir in the half and half and the fish sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with extra salt or fish sauce if needed.
Ladle the hot porridge into bowls. Top generously with the roasted butternut squash. Drizzle the warm brown butter over each serving, and garnish with sliced scallions and cracked black pepper.
Chef's Notes
- Using cooked, day-old jasmine rice is a brilliant shortcut for weeknight cháo. The starch structure has already been altered, allowing it to burst and thicken the broth in a fraction of the time raw rice requires.
- The fish sauce provides a crucial hit of umami that cuts through the richness of the brown butter and dairy. If substituting for a fully vegetarian version using tamari, consider adding a tiny pinch of MSG to replicate that depth.
- For an even smoother, silkier porridge, you can briefly pulse the cooked rice in a food processor a few times before adding it to your simmering broth.
- Do not skip immediately removing the brown butter from the pan. Residual heat in a skillet will continue to cook the milk solids, turning them from deeply savory to burnt and bitter in mere seconds.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store components separately if possible to maintain squash texture.
Freezer: 1 month — Porridge base freezes well. Roasted squash may become mushy upon thawing.
Reheating: Warm gently on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Add a splash of water or broth to loosen the porridge as it heats.
Troubleshooting
Porridge becomes too thick or pasty before serving
Cause: High starch release from the rice coupled with rapid evaporation of the broth
Fix: Vigorously stir in hot water or warm broth 60ml at a time until the creamy consistency is restored
Prevention: Simmer gently rather than boiling rapidly, and keep a lid partially on the pot to retain moisture
Brown butter tastes bitter and looks black
Cause: The butter was left in the hot skillet too long after the milk solids toasted
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Watch carefully as soon as the butter foams the second time, and immediately pour it out of the hot pan
Cultural Context
Cháo is a foundational Vietnamese comfort food, traditionally made by simmering raw rice in a large volume of water or bone broth until completely broken down into a silky soup. This winter-y variation introduces French-inspired culinary elements, utilizing nutty brown butter and rich half and half. These Western additions complement the sweet earthiness of roasted squash while maintaining the soul-warming, restorative essence of the original dish.
