I didn't realize that 2010 slid by without a post from yours truly! I think I was stuck in a food rut for so long that I ended up serving the same old recipes on an endless rotation --- pork and chicken adobo, baked salmon or tilapia, spaghetti with Italian sausage, chicken tinola, and beef laga. Enough for a meal or two (or sometimes three!), plus lunch for Nico. But we must be doing fine since I heard that one of Nico's schoolmates checks his lunch daily; maybe pining for a home-cooked meal since he has to eat school lunch every day!
One of the comfort foods I grew up with is Lugaw (or Lugao), a rice-based soup similar to the Cantonese congee, only thicker since the rice isn't boiled to a mushy texture similar to grits, but somewhat similar to that of risotto only with more liquid. (An aside: I smile as I write at the number of cultures that sentence involved --- Spanish, Chinese, Filipino, Italian, and the Southern United States.) The rice is usually boiled in chicken stock with strips of fresh ginger, and other flavors may be added according to taste (i.e. fish sauce or soy sauce). Most often it is topped with scallions and fried garlic, and more soy sauce, fish sauce, and calamansi are served on the side since every Filipino knows to adjust the soup according to taste, and the cook isn't offended.
Lugaw can be served with tokwa't baboy (diced tofu and pork), goto (beef tripe), utak (brain [of pig]), dilâ (tongue [of pig]), litid ([beef] ligaments), or chicken (and then it is called Arroz caldo, or rice soup). It is often served to the sick, young children, and the elderly, and is especially popular during cold weather. Arroz caldo is usually spiced with saffron and black pepper in place of or in addition to the more traditional ginger and scallion.
Arroz Caldo
1 lb chicken (either breasts, boneless thighs, or an assortment of parts)
1 1/2 cups rice, uncooked
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
ginger, peeled and finely minced
5-7 cups chicken broth, or half water and half broth (adjust to taste)
cooking oil, approximately 2 tbsp
saffron (optional)
For garnish:
green onions, chopped
garlic, chopped and fried crisp
calamansi or lemon
soy sauce
fish sauce
Heat the oil in a heavy casserole or soup pot over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic and onion, saute for about 3 minutes, until translucent and fragrant. Make sure to stir constantly to avoid burning. Add the chicken and brown all sides. Add the rice, chicken broth and/or water, and bring to a low boil. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, adding more broth or water if needed and stirring occasionally, until the chicken and rice are cooked. Towards the last few minutes of cooking add the saffron.
Top each serving with a garnish of chopped green onion and crispy fried garlic. Serve with calamansi, soy sauce, and fish sauce.
NOTE: This dish is even easier to make when you have extra cooked rice from a previous meal --- add the rice after the chicken is cooked and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to heat through. And you can adjust the amount of meat and broth depending on what you have at home, to get the consistency of arroz caldo that you want.
One of the comfort foods I grew up with is Lugaw (or Lugao), a rice-based soup similar to the Cantonese congee, only thicker since the rice isn't boiled to a mushy texture similar to grits, but somewhat similar to that of risotto only with more liquid. (An aside: I smile as I write at the number of cultures that sentence involved --- Spanish, Chinese, Filipino, Italian, and the Southern United States.) The rice is usually boiled in chicken stock with strips of fresh ginger, and other flavors may be added according to taste (i.e. fish sauce or soy sauce). Most often it is topped with scallions and fried garlic, and more soy sauce, fish sauce, and calamansi are served on the side since every Filipino knows to adjust the soup according to taste, and the cook isn't offended.
Lugaw can be served with tokwa't baboy (diced tofu and pork), goto (beef tripe), utak (brain [of pig]), dilâ (tongue [of pig]), litid ([beef] ligaments), or chicken (and then it is called Arroz caldo, or rice soup). It is often served to the sick, young children, and the elderly, and is especially popular during cold weather. Arroz caldo is usually spiced with saffron and black pepper in place of or in addition to the more traditional ginger and scallion.
Arroz Caldo
1 lb chicken (either breasts, boneless thighs, or an assortment of parts)
1 1/2 cups rice, uncooked
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
ginger, peeled and finely minced
5-7 cups chicken broth, or half water and half broth (adjust to taste)
cooking oil, approximately 2 tbsp
saffron (optional)
For garnish:
green onions, chopped
garlic, chopped and fried crisp
calamansi or lemon
soy sauce
fish sauce
Heat the oil in a heavy casserole or soup pot over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic and onion, saute for about 3 minutes, until translucent and fragrant. Make sure to stir constantly to avoid burning. Add the chicken and brown all sides. Add the rice, chicken broth and/or water, and bring to a low boil. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, adding more broth or water if needed and stirring occasionally, until the chicken and rice are cooked. Towards the last few minutes of cooking add the saffron.
Top each serving with a garnish of chopped green onion and crispy fried garlic. Serve with calamansi, soy sauce, and fish sauce.
NOTE: This dish is even easier to make when you have extra cooked rice from a previous meal --- add the rice after the chicken is cooked and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to heat through. And you can adjust the amount of meat and broth depending on what you have at home, to get the consistency of arroz caldo that you want.
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