If the Italians have risotto, Filipinos have arroz caldo! Try this recipe and you’ll see why this is a big time comfort food favorite in the Philippines.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 whole head of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 1 inch ginger, sliced thinly
- 2 cups glutinuos rice
- 12 cups homemade chicken stock
- 2 tsp Mexican saffron, (kasubha)
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp chicken base
- 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
- 2 lbs chicken breast
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp salt
- 4 soft boiled eggs
- Calamansi or lemon
Directions:
- In a pot, bring 12 cups of water to a boil.
- Add the chicken breast, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Simmer for an hour.
- Transfer the chicken into a dish and chopped into bite sized pieces. Reserve the broth.
- In a heated saute pan, add 3 tbsp olive oil and saute crushed garlic until golden brown. Watch it closely because it can burned easily. Once browned, transfer into a dish ( don’t cover).
- In the same pan, add the onions and saute until translucent.
- Add the chopped ginger and stir for a few minutes.
- Add the glutinuos rice and saute for a few minutes then add 3 cups of chicken broth. Stir until the rice absorbed all the liquids.
- Add three more cups of chicken broth to the rice. Stir and cover to simmer. You will do this process two more times.
- Add the safflower ( kasubha) and pepper, and 3 cups of broth. Stir and cover.
- Add the grated ginger, fish sauce, chopped chicken breast, chicken base, half of the spring onions, and the rest of the chicken broth. Simmer for an hour. Stir every 20 minutes to make sure the rice doesn’t stick on the bottom of the pan.
- Serve while warm. Top it with spring onion, boiled eggs, calamansi or lemon and toasted garlic. Enjoy!
