When the family craves for something comforting, another recipe that comes in mind is porridge.  I cook chinese, korean and vietnamese porridge but today, it was a day for my childhood porridge called Chicken Arroz Caldo.

My Mom is not a good cook but when I see or crave for arroz caldo, I always remember her. Now that I cook a lot, I just realized Mommy does not prepare our Arroz Caldo the right way so we always end up eating super dense and sticky porridge, sometimes burnt on the pot but as always, it was heaven for us kids.  

 
Here’s how I made mine:

1/2 Organic Chicken, including liver, heart, gizzard and neck

3/4 cup short grain white rice

Sliced ginger

Chopped Onions

Minced Garlic

Fried Garlic

Safflower (Kasubha) 

Salt, Pepper, Fish Sauce for seasoning

Chopped scallions for garnishing

Hard Boiled Eggs

Sliced Lemons 

Boil chicken with 1 Tbsp. salt and a whole onion.  Make sure to skim the stock every now and then to keep it clear from scum.  Cook for 30-40 minutes on medium low heat.  Set aside when done.

On a different soup pan, heat oil then start stir frying the ginger, garlic, onions.  Add the rice and cook for a few minutes.  Pour 3 cups chicken stock then let it simmer in medium low heat until rice is half done. 

Add the chicken (roughly chopped or hand-shredded), season with salt, pepper, fish sauce to taste then add the safflower to add a vibrant shade of yellow to the porridge.  Add 4-5 cups more chicken stock and continue to cook until porridge is rich and glutinous enough to eat.

To serve, top with hard boiled egg, scallions, fried garlic and squeeze some lemon juice before eating.

Indulge!  Easy, healthy and comforting.

“Ma, I miss your Arroz Caldo.”