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Arroz caldo
Chicken rice porridge
Arroz caldo: ginger chicken rice porridge with fried garlic, egg and calamansi
Rainy-season mornings, sick days and late nights after a party all end with a bowl of arroz caldo somewhere in the Philippines. Sticky rice simmers with chicken and a fistful of ginger until it breaks into a thick, savoury porridge, tinted gold with safflower, then each bowl gets crunchy fried garlic, spring onion, a halved boiled egg and a squeeze of calamansi. It is the Filipino cousin of congee, with a sharper ginger bite. Chef's tip: stir often in the last half hour; glutinous rice settles and scorches on the base, and one burnt patch flavours the whole pot.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 1 onionchopped
- 1 ¾ oz fresh gingerpeeled, cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 ¾ lb bone-in chicken thighsskin removed
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 5 ½ oz glutinous ricerinsed
- 3 ½ oz jasmine ricerinsed
- 8 ¼ cups water or chicken stock
- 1 tsp dried safflower (kasubha) (optional)or a pinch of turmeric
To serve
- 3 eggshard-boiled, halved
- 4 spring onionssliced
- ½ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over a medium heat and fry half the 4 cloves garlic, stirring, until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto paper and keep for topping.
3 minStep 2: In the same oil fry the rest of 4 cloves garlic, 1 onion and 1 ¾ oz fresh ginger until soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes.
4 minStep 3: Add 1 ¾ lb bone-in chicken thighs and 3 tbsp fish sauce and cook, turning, until the chicken is opaque on the outside, about 5 minutes.
5 minStep 4: Stir in 5 ½ oz glutinous rice and 3 ½ oz jasmine rice for 1 minute to coat in the oil, then pour in 8 ¼ cups water or chicken stock and add 1 tsp dried safflower (kasubha). Bring to the boil.
4 minStep 5: Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, stirring every 5 minutes, for 20 minutes. Lift out the chicken: it should read 165°F at the thickest part next to the bone.
20 minStep 6: Shred the chicken off the bones and return it to the pot. Keep simmering, stirring often and scraping the base, for 10–15 minutes more, until the grains have burst and the porridge is thick but still pourable. Add hot water if it gets too stiff.
15 minStep 7: Taste for fish sauce. Ladle into bowls and top with the fried garlic, 3 eggs, 4 spring onions and ½ tsp black pepper, with 6 calamansi or lime wedges on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arroz caldo take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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Perfect for:Monsoon