Rainy Day Merienda

Today is another one of those cold rainy days and what a time for Andie to come up with Chicken Arroz Caldo for merienda. Me and Ardie loves it everytime she cooks this one for us. I know she already perfected it.



Arroz Caldo , despite its very Spanish name, is actually the filipino version of the chinese congee,(lugaw in filipino )that was adapted to the tastes of the Spanish colonial settlers who patronized Chinese restaurants in the Philippines. As the Spanish could not pronounce Chinese, they gave it a Spanish name for easy reference."Arros" means rice and "caldo" means hot.The dish is considered by many to be a comfort food, and is a perfect substitute for good ‘ol chicken soup. Arroz Caldo is a staple in most lugawans and carinderias.

Arroz caldo is usually spiced with kasubha (a filipino version of saffron) and black pepper in addition to the more traditional ginger and garlic.

Kasubha is the dried stamen of a local plant. It is not saffron. It does not impart any distinct flavor. Kasubha is available as fine short reddish brown threads. It is used to give arroz caldo a reddish tint, yellowish tint in case of saffron.

Arroz caldo can be served plain or with a variety of meat mixed in it.Chicken ,chicharon (fried pork rinds) and , goto (beef tripe), are some of the favorite meats used for congee. Another popular way of serving congee is with tokwa’t baboy, cubes of boiled pork face meat and fried tofu marinated in soy sauce & vinegar mixture, chopped onions, garlic and hot chili peppers. Most often it will be topped with scallions and served with crispy fried garlic and boiled eggs.

B-fast with Bukchoi

I woke up this morning craving for something i have'nt had for a long time, a filipino "agahan" or "umagahan" (early morning b-fast). So, i requested Andie, if we can have one today, she came up with "Longganisa " ( a native filipino b-fast sausage or chorizo)scrambled eggs with tomatoes,my favorite garlic fried rice, and a dried fish called espada (we got this from my sister-in-law as pasalubong from the philippines) these delicacies are among the most loved traditional Filipino breakfast items. Depending on which province or region the longganisa originates, it can be sweet , spicy, garlicky , colored or uncolored.



Longganisa for breakfast is so popularly Pinoy that it is actually served at the humblest turo-turo & carinderia and deluxe hotels (it reminds me of the time when i'm still working at the Shangri-la Edsa Manila,we used to have this on the menu, called the "longsilog" together with other popular b-fast items such as tapa, a marinated thin sliced of beef and tocino,a sweet cured pork )




My son , Ardie is the only one who ate his usual bowl of cheerios and zippy cup of milk :-)


Cheer's Bukchoi !!! Daddy's happy again ;-)