FILIPINO FRIDAYS : ARROZ CALDO

What better way to open up my food section than with a meal that is not only close to my Filipina heart, but one that soothes the soul, is CRAZY easy, and makes me look like I lived in the motherland for years?! Arroz Caldo.

Okay, so not the most technical or elaborate dish ever, but a good 'Filipino Cooking 101' kind of dish. Arroz Caldo is essentially a chicken congee (Rice Porridge) or in a filipino household, what you feed your kids when they're sick. This stuff is liquid comfort and gives Campbell's a run for it's money! Chicken Stewed with garlic, ginger, and onions, it's typically topped with bits of fried garlic, green onion, calamansi (filipino lemon) and every so often a hard boiled egg. 

The ginger and garlic just infuses the chicken and rice with flavor, while the fish sauce rounds out the savory notes of the dish, and that calamansi/lemon just squeezed over top brightens the overall bite making an otherwise heavy dish settle well on your palate. 

I can't recall a time my mom didn't pick up a large Styrofoam container of Arroz Caldo from the filipino market whenever I got sick, so these flavor combinations not only hit the spot on a cold day, but most importantly feel like one big warm rice filled hug from home.

This one is for you mama!