My boyfriend—a Filipino-American—has a go-to request whenever he's feeling under the weather. It's the same request he makes of his mother whenever he flies home for a visit, no matter the status of his health:arroz caldo, a soupy bowl of rice porridge enriched with shredded poached chicken and perfumed with ginger, garlic, and fish sauce.
It's not just my boyfriend that relies on the healing power of arroz caldo. In her cookbook,7000 Islands: A Food Portrait of the Philippines, Yasmin Newman addresses the soup's status as a high-profile Philippine home remedy. She posits that arroz caldo's popularity as a curative comes from the mere fact that it's easier to swallow the soft, nourishing soup when plagued with a sore throat than it is the traditionally steamed or garlic-fried rice present on Filipino tables "from breakfast through to dinner." For the same reason, it's often given to Filipino babies when they begin eating solid foods.
Here's how Newman makes her version:
1. Soak the rice
Traditionally, arroz caldo is made with sticky rice. Newman opts for a combination of both sticky and jasmine rices which delivers variations in both flavor and texture. So that the soup comes out creamy instead of gluey, the rice must be soaked in water to remove excess starch. And while Newman instructs that soaking the rice while preparing the remaining ingredients is sufficient, I'd be remiss if I didn't stress that my boyfriend's mother insists that it must be soaked overnight. You do you.
2. Poach a chicken
Sorry, arotisserie chickenwon't cut it here—you need to poach chicken so you can use the poaching liquid later on in the dish. To make it a little more manageable and quick, Newman cuts a whole chicken into 4 pieces, submerges them in cold water and simmers until cooked through—about 40 minutes. Feel free to do this step a few days ahead.
3. Make the garlic chips
Crispy, golden garlic chips are a hallmark of great arroz caldo. To make them, thin slices of garlic are added to a pot with cold vegetable oil. As the oil slowly heats up, the garlic becomes fragrant, bronzed, and, eventually, crisp. They're addictive, so try not to eat them before scattering all over the top of the finished dish.
4. Sauté the aromatics
The garlic-perfumed oil then getsmoregarlic, a bit ofginger——纽曼提醒“是一种古老的疗法”"coupled with nutrients from making real stock with a whole chicken"—and some onions, which are sautéed just until softened.
5. Sauté and cook the rice
The soaked-and-drained rice is added to the pot and stirred so that each grain is coated in the flavorful oil. Then in goes fish sauce (this Filipino fish sauce, infused with calamansi, a native Philippine citrus, is one of my favorites) and the reserved poaching liquid. As it simmers the rice breaks down and thickens the liquid. It'll be ready in about 20 minutes. For thicker arroz caldo, keep cooking; to thin it out, just add in more of that poaching liquid.
6. Don't forget the garnishes
Shredded chicken meat and those garlic chips are a must, but toppings can really run the gamut. Newman opts for aboiled egg, scallions, sesame oil, and calamansi or lime wedges—all great options. You may also want a few extra dashes of fish sauce, hot sauce, or soy sauce; a sprinkling of chopped peanuts or pork rinds; or a shower of chives, cilantro, and/or mint. You may even want to add a spoonful ofbagoong(fermented shrimp paste), which is one of my boyfriend's favorite condiments, but something that—after nearly 10 years together—I'm still, um...acquiring a taste for. However you choose to make arroz caldo, just remember one thing: you're about to feel a whole lot better.
