Arroz Caldo Recipe

Arroz Caldo literally means warm rice. This Arroz Caldo Recipe is a type of congee that closely resembles risotto. It has been a favorite Filipino snack and is best eaten with tokwat baboy.

Although Arroz Caldo is of Chinese origin, the name was actually given by the Spaniards because of pronunciation issues. You might be familiar with lugaw and goto. These congee closely resembles each other, correct? The distinguishing ingredient of arroz caldo is the use of chicken, while goto usually requires the use of tripe, beef, and innards. Lugaw, on the other hand, is as plain as it can get.

To make your arroz caldo look and taste better, try topping it with some safflower, toasted garlic, and scallions — squeeze half a lemon and you are done. Arroz Caldo is usually served during breakfast because it is filling. It can give you the energy that you will need until lunch time.

I remember seeing several well-lit carts complete with chairs and tables along Edsa (a major road in Manila) serving this arroz caldo with Goto and lugaw. Several tapsilogan and karinderya also carry this in their daily menu.

Try this delicious Arroz Caldo recipe and let me know what you think.

Arroz Caldo Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs chicken, cut into serving pieces
• 1 ½ cups uncooked rice
• 34 ounces water (about 1 liter)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup onion, minced
• 4 pieces hard boiled eggs
• 1 cup scallions (green onions), minced
• 2 knobs ginger, julienned
• 3 tbsp safflower(kasubha)
• 1 piece chicken cube (bouillon)
• 1 piece lemon or 4 pieces calamansi
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Watch the cooking video:

Cooking Procedure

1. In a pot, heat the cooking oil then saute the garlic, onion, and ginger
2. Dash-in some ground black pepper
3. Add the chicken cube and cook until the cube melts
4. Put-in the chicken and cook until outer layer color turns golden brown
5. Add the fish sauce and uncooked rice then mix and cook for a few minutes
6. Pour-in the water and bring to a boil
7. Stir occasionally and simmer until the rice is fully cooked (about 30 to 40 minutes)
8. Put-in the hard boiled eggs
9. Add the safflower for additional color and aroma
10. Serve hot with garlic, minced scallions, and lemon. Share and Enjoy!

Number of servings (yield): 6

My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 521 review(s)

Toasted Garlic Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cooking oil

Procedure:

1. Pour the oil in a pan then turn on the stove
2. Put-in the garlic immediately (make sure that the oil is not hot enough to fry the garlic)
3. Adjust the heat of the stove to “low” and wait until the garlic turns golden brown (or medium brown if desired)
4. Drain the oil and place in a bowl with paper towel or tissue
5. Use when needed