Arroz Caldo (Filipino Chicken Porridge)
A good friend of mine, Marivic Pinedo, wanted to share this arroz caldo recipe that her mother created.
“As a kid, arroz caldo was a dish I couldn’t wait to devour; I still remember sitting at the table, impatiently waiting to be served a bowl of this warm and comforting Filipino chicken and rice dish.
Most times I would hover over the stove and serve myself directly from the pot, making sure my chicken-to-rice ratio was just so. My favorites were the tiny chicken wings – a small pile of bones would slowly stack up to the side of my bowl, after sucking every last ounce of flavor from them. I wasn’t shy; the higher the pile, the prouder I was.
Arroz Caldo
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Filipino, Rice
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 thumb size ginger (peeled and julienned)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 3 cups white rice
- 20 chicken drumsticks and wings ((or 5 regular size chicken thighs))
- 5 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron ((or generic saffra))
- salt and pepper
Garnish
- chopped scallions
- lemon wedges
- fried garlic and ginger
Instructions
- Cook rice according to directions on package. When the rice is cooked, blend half of it in a blender with a little water until thick and soupy (like porridge, to your desired consistency). Set aside.
- Finely chop the last 2 garlic cloves. In a large pot over medium/high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil, garlic, leftover ginger and onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until onions are clear (translucent) and add chicken. Lower heat to low/medium, cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add fish sauce and 1/2 cup of water (do NOT stir), cover and cook on low for 5 minutes. Stir and add enough water to cover the chicken, bring to boil, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add blended rice mixture, stir well and add remaining unblended rice. Add saffron and stir well until porridge color turns golden yellow.
- Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until rice has thickened, stirring occasionally to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Turn the heat off, verify that chicken is cooked through and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve in a bowl and top with fried garlic, ginger, scallions and lemon wedge.
Garlic and ginger garnish
- In a pan over medium high heat, add minced garlic, half of the ginger strips and 2 tbps olive oil. Fry until light brown and set aside.
Nutrition
- Calories: 1061
- Saturated Fat: 10
I love making congee using the post-Thanksgiving turkey carcass. Does your dad love his fish congee with lots of ginger? Love hearing your story, thanks!
★★★★★