The best
arroz caldo I ever ate was made by the
kasambahay of one of my great-aunts. It has probably been decades since I last had this.
Before I go reminiscing any further, what is arroz caldo? Basically Filipino rice porridge with chicken. Sometimes hard boiled eggs are added. And you usually top it off with chopped green onions, toasted garlic, and tofu.
Anyway my favorite arroz caldo is just plain chicken and rice. No garnishes. The way she used to cook it was what made it taste good. I'll try to see if I can remember bits and pieces of her techniques and recipe.
She would first sauté some garlic. Maybe add some ginger. Then she would add the uncooked rice, or bigas, and "fry" them until they were a bit translucent. Once it reaches that stage I think she would drop a chicken bouillon cube and let it dissolve. Once dissolved she would then add the water and let the rice cook. They would usually go for a thick consistency instead of soupy.
Come to my think of it, the way she starts out the arroz caldo seems similar to how you would start cooking risotto.
So when do you add the chicken? I honestly can't remember. In fact, I don't even think it was arroz caldo I ate. Maybe it wasn't arroz caldo. Maybe it was lugaw, which is basically just rice porridge. I can't remember.
Oh well. Maybe I should try to recreate it but add chicken. Modify it by adding slivers of chicken breast fillet along with the bigas to enhance the flavor. Hopefully I have time to do this.
Out.
