Chicken soup for the soul, Filipino style

During a recent trip to Las Vegas, I had occasion to calm my stomach (after a night of drinking) with a bowl of arroz caldo at the local Chowking. While their version was by no means special, even a little greasy to be honest, it had all the ingredients I needed to set me right again--a winning combination of comfort food, with a dose of nostaligia.

I love arroz caldo. Again, like champorado, it takes me back. Back to the Laguna of my youth. Back to Saturday trips to the wet market in Calamba, where my mom would drop us kids off at the arroz caldo counter so we can eat while she shops. Back to my grandma's house in Cabuyao, and the many afternoons when my siblings, cousin and I would have arroz caldo as our after school snack. It also takes me back to college, when my building-mates and I trekked to a new Goto King that opened at midnight, offering free food for the first few diners. We dug into our warm bowls of rice porridge alongside construction workers and tricycle drivers.

It is our version of the cure-all chicken noodle soup. Only heartier from the rice, spicier from the black pepper, and saltier from the fish sauce.

From Wikipedia:

Some provinces prefer the Spanish-influenced arroz caldo (literally hot rice), which is often mistaken for a European dish due to its name. Arroz caldo is actually a Chinese congee that was adapted to the tastes of the Spanish colonial settlers who patronized Chinese restaurants in the Philippines. As the Spanish could not pronounce Chinese, they gave it a Spanish name for easy reference.

A few weeks ago, Bayds, an old college friend (now a doctor in Florida), texted me about her misadventure in attempting to make her first pot of arroz caldo. Hers ended up looking like gooey fried rice. But it gave me the idea of attempting my own creation.

The recipe is easy enough that I wonder now why I never tried this before. Start with some garlic, onion and the all important ginger. Throw in some rice, some chicken broth and pieces of cooked chicken. Cook till rice is done and you have arroz caldo.

I cheated a little by using store bought chicken broth.

Threw in some hard-boiled eggs to make it a heartier meal.

The usual condiments include ground black pepper, fish sauce (not shown) and kalamansi (or in my case, lime). Add to suit your taste.

It wasn't that hard at all. One mistake though, I made too much and ended up eating arroz caldo for lunch three days in a row. It's safe to say that I've had my fill of the stuff for now.

There's hope for you yet, Bayds!

I loosely followed the instructions of Connie of Pinoy Cook, substituting regular eggs and omitting the kasubha. Her full recipe is here.