Must Try Kapampangan Paella Recipe: Bringhe

Going to any Kapampangan celebration, festival, or noche buena it is certain that you would see this yellow to green glutinous rice mixed and topped with various meat and vegetables sitting along with the other dishes in the serving table. That is the Bringhe, a staple Kapampangan celebration dish that is easy to cook and must try!

Bringhe is always known as the Filipino version of Spanish Paella which is kind of true. Bringhe has always had pre-colonial roots and originated in the province of Pampanga. Its name is associated with the Indian dish Biryani, which is paella without chorizo and eggs. It was when the Spaniards colonized the Philippines when this dish were added with extra ingredients and slowly became more of a Spanish paella look-alike.

The dish may look complicated, but trust me, with just a pot and a stove and a lot of ingredients in, you can whip one up in just an hour and voila! You already have another main course to serve for your family celebration. Here is a recipe you may try that is good for 6 people.

Ingredients

• 500 g boneless chicken thigh meat, cubed
• 1 pc chorizo, sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 cup glutinous rice, rinsed well
• 1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed well
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• fish sauce
• freshly ground black pepper
• quartered hard boiled eggs, to garnish
• oil

Cooking Instructions

1. In medium heat, heat oil in a pan or skillet.
2. Cook the chorizo in for 2 minutes then remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Using freshly ground black pepper, season the boneless chicken then cook each side for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Add more oil into the pan then sauté the garlic and onions. Sauté until the garlic is light brown and the onions are translucent.
5. Add rice and turmeric
6. Stir the pan for one minute while keeping the medium heat.
7. Pour the broth and coconut milk then stir.
8. Add your various toppings which are chorizo, chicken, bell peppers, green peas, and raisins.
9. You can season it with fish sauce and black pepper according to taste.
10. Cover the pan then let it cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, check if the rice has absorbed the liquid and is fully cooked.
11. Remove from heat, add eggs as garnish then serve.

Storage

For safety purposes, do not leave bringhe in room temperature for more than 2 hours as one of its ingredients is coconut milk which is quick to spoil in hot or warm temperature. Store in an airtight container inside the refrigerator and you can leave them up to 3 days or 2 months if frozen.