Arroz Caldo Filipino Ginger Chicken Rice Broth

By á-5765

This recipe is often served on Christmas and New Year's Eve but also when someone is sick. It makes a rather thick porridge, but can be thinned down to taste with additional chicken stock.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, skinned, cut into 3" pieces (chop through bones with a cleaver so the marrow flavors the broth) or for quicker, but less flavorable version, cut a large chicken breast into one-inch pieces.
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped into 1/4" pieces
• 3 " ginger root, peeled, cut match-stick thin, 3/4" long
• 4 T vegetable oil
• 1 cup rice (long grain, short grain, or glutinous for thicker porridge)
• 2 T patis (oriental fish sauce, available in oriental markets)
• 4 cups chicken stock or rice water
• 1/4 t of saffron or turmeric
• 2 green onions, sliced into 1/4" rings
• dash of paprika (opptional)
• 1 c rice water
• GARNISH (optional: 3 hard-boiled eggs chopped; 3 spring onions sliced; 3 calamansi or limes quartered; additional patis.

Preparation

Step 1

Saute garlic in the vegetable oil until light brown. Transfer to a paper towel. Add ginger & onion until onion is transparent.

Add chicken; cook for 10-15 minutes, tossing several times.

Add uncooked rice.

Add patis (fish sauce)to chicken. Toss.

Then add chicken stock or rice water; sautè 15 min; stirring occasionally.

Add the saffron or turmeric.

Add enough water to cover chicken and rice by 1-2 inches, stirring
occasionally. Cook 20-25 minutes till rice is tender.

Add enough water so you have a broth, not just a stew.

Towards end of cooking, add sliced green onions to the broth. Add salt if needed (but remember the patis is salty). An optional dash of paprika for color.

SERVE with small bowls on the side for the chicken bones (if used)and pieces of ginger that need not be eaten. Serve garnishes if desired.

REHEATING. When allowed to sit or be refrigerated for some time, the rice will absorb much of the chicken broth. So, when reheating you may thin it out with some more broth.