Arroz Caldo

Chicken & Rice Soup Dish; also called Congee or Porridge or Gruel in other Asian Countries

This "heavy" soup dish is usually served during nippy or stormy weather in the Philippines. When you're sick, especially with bum tummy, you get the plain version. 

It became memorable to me when my father in law, Renato H. Bautista, brought a huge stock pot size to the hospital a few hours after I delivered our first-born. He commanded that my husband and I finish it because all restaurants were closed (it was Holy Thursday during the Holy Week) and I needed it to regain my strength so I can breastfeed properly the first male grandson.  My hubby, +Aj Bautista, was also knackered coaching me during labor. I was asking why the soup was coloured yellow, still curious notwithstanding the long labor I underwent.  He said he added roasted "kasubha" (saffron) when the arroz caldo was cooked. It was still my early years of cooking meals and my father in law was always patient to answer my culinary questions, notwithstanding it's level of obviousness.

My super patient father-in-law, Renato H. Bautista (RIP)

The following recipe is a mix of all influences from the various Asian cities we've resided in and cooking gadgets which have come & gone, like the long-trashed pressure cooker.

Arroz caldo with the tender chicken bits falling off the bones.

1. I used a slow cooker and a cup of water with some coarse salt, freshly ground pepper and a quartered onion for 20 pieces of chicken drummettes for 4 hours on high.
2. Wash rice.  I used 3/4 cup glutinous or sticky rice (malagkit) + 1/4 cup jasmine white rice.
3. Roast on a very hot pan a handful of saffron/kasubha, less than 3 minutes.  You don't want it to burn which will give a bitter flavour.  Set aside.
4. In a big pot, soften sliced big white onion and 6 slices of ginger in cooking oil.  I use a shaver to shave off ginger's skin.  Skin has a bitter flavour.  Softening onion takes time. To avoid burning, add a little water at a time to continue the process.
5. Add the washed rice in your cooking pot and coat it with your oil and softened onions, ginger.
6. Add your tender and drained chicken.  Mix to coat.  I add a cooking spoonful/sandok of fish sauce/patis, a teaspoon of chili oil and a tablespoon of sesame oil.
7. Add in a total of 6 cups of liquid, your chicken stock + water.
8. Boil then simmer until the rice is well cooked, when the rice "breaks down".  Does not matter for our family that some chicken bits fall from the bones already.  This takes about 45 minutes.
9. When cooked, mix in your roasted saffron.
10. When serving, we have on the side:

• pork floss which you can buy from any Asian food store
• fried minced garlic mixed with chopped spring onion/scallion
• lemon or calamansi juice with some patis or fish sauce
• Chinese hot chili oil 

Freshly chopped scallions with fried garlic

Pork floss you can buy from the Asian grocery.  Taiwanese porridge usually have this.