Arroz Caldo

Up next is a rice soup. A congee of sorts. Or rice porridge. Also referred to as lugaw (loo-g-ow) in the Philippines. The dish has got some Spanish influences, but mostly adapted from the Chinese. I've got wikipedia to thank for that last bit of info (here). I have my mom to thank for this recipe. She's make this every Christmas. I love it. It's probably the best I've ever eaten. I'm not saying that because I'm her daughter, but I really do believe it true. People rave about it when they first taste it.  I could eat up bowls of this soup all day long if I could with a side of bread. This is comfort food Filipino style. Yum!!

There's also no one way to make this as many Filipino families have their own recipe and tradition of cooking up this classic soup. As long as there's rice and bunch of fresh ginger and maybe some chicken, you're good to go. At first it may look watery if eaten fresh, but give it a couple hours and the water will dry out a little and it will have and creamy porridge-like consistency. Plus you can always add more stock to the mix. Serve a bowl of this with a side of fish sauce, calamansi or lemon wedges, or soy sauce.

This soup can be eaten year round. It's perfect substitute for the tried-and-true chicken noodle for if you're feeling sick. But I love to eat it during this season. It just screams holidays, doesn't it? Maybe it's the flecks of red from the saffron.

Arroz Caldo

2 c uncooked rice
1 garlic - fine chopped
1/2 medium onion - chopped
1/2 c ginger - sliced
2 chicken boullion cubes
water
1 Tbsp saffron
1 chicken breast - cubed - optional
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
2 scallion - chopped
roasted garlic pieces - optional
hard boiled egg - optional


Wash the uncooked rice thorough of any starches. Set aside.

In a stock pot, saute the garlic in a little olive oil  then saute the onions after. Add the optional chicken and par-cook the meat until the the outside are white. Season with some salt and pepper. Add the rice and saute for roughly 1-2 minutes. Then add the ginger.

Fill the pot 3/4 full of water. and add the chicken boullion, if not adding chicken meat. Bring the mixture to a boil then down to a simmer on medium to low heat until the rice is cooked. Then add the saffron.

Top with some slices of egg ot a couple quail eggs, scallions and roasted garlic. Serve with a side of fish sauce, calamsi or lemon slices, or soy sauce.

Note: if it looks watery, don't worry. After a couple of hours some of the liquid with lightly dry out and the soup will have a porridge consistency.