Saturday, May 28, 2016

[724] Rainy Season

Apparently summer is over.

It has been raining for the past few days. This is a welcome change from all the heat we experienced during the summer. It was El Niño during the summer, meaning our summer was hotter and drier than normal.

Now I've been hearing news reports saying the rainy season is upon us. This is both good and bad.

Why bad? Well because La Niña is now going to happen. This means a wetter rainy season. Unfortunately if you are familiar with what happens to Metro Manila during the rainy season you will know what this means. Flash floods.

I just hope people are preparing for what will happen. Good luck to us all, and stay safe.

Out.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

[723] Arroz Caldo

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.

Monday, May 16, 2016

[722] Farewell Postpaid

After all these years My dad finally cancelled the postpaid plan I had been using since the early 2000s. It was not a difficult decision to do.

Using current prepaid sim card is more economical. I can avail of different prepaid promos that can stretch what I would normally use to pay for the postpaid plan I was using.

Also I can now adjust my budget to focus more on data plans than SMS and calls. I rarely call or text anyone, anyway.

So here is to more financial flexibility.

Out.