How To Make The Best Arroz Caldo Recipe The Classic Filipino Porridge

Arroz Caldo (rice porridge) is one of the famous comfort foods of choice for most Asians, including Filipinos. It’s been around for ages, being an everyday meal for breakfast or a warmer on a chilly, rainy day. Learning how to cook Pottage can make you rich, and we have people in the Philippines that are making a lot of money by selling recipes similar to this in front of their houses.

In addition to this, countries, for example, China and South Korea, believe that this meal has a medicinal effect on sick people. For one, rice is perceived to alleviate stomach upset, while chicken broth is famous for relieving someone from colds. For this reason, when you go to these places and ask for pottage, they might assume you are sick.

In the Philippines, Pottage is a mass favorite, whether you are ill or well. It is a typical breakfast recipe similar to this because people are used to warming food at the beginning of the day. And sometimes as merienda to pair with side recipes soaked in vinegar. 

Hence, our feature recipe illustrates some of the ways how to cook this pottage. Furthermore, we also highlighted some of the variants you can choose from. Thus, you will have ideas on how you can cook your Pottage, the greatest pottage in town.

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What are the Classic Filipino Arroz Caldo Recipes About

Interestingly, the name Pottage is the Spanish term, which means rice with chicken broth. But despite its Spanish name, this food was initially referred to as congee that hailed from China. Therefore, the Chinese influenced us in making this food a part of the modern Philippine locals' daily staple.

To further narrate, around 960-1279 BC, the Chinese merchants engaged in barter trade with our Philippine natives during the Song Dynasty. They were into exchanging their condiments, crops, and herbs for ceramics, porcelain, and silk. During their break time, Chinese merchants often prepared congee and shared this with the natives.

Because of that, foreign merchants have established good relationships with our ancestors. Our natives have gained many insights into cooking and food preservation methods. Hence, congee was introduced through this ancient commercial exchange.  

Furthermore, when the Spanish came, they have taken note of almost everything they have observed in our daily chores, customs, and traditions. Yet, they had difficulty pronouncing congee, so they named it Rice Pottage. Over time, other names such as Goto, Lugaw, and Pospas have emerged.

Be that as it may, what are Pottage recipes? Recipes similar to this are rice pottages that use chicken, broth, and meat, as the main ingredient. Meanwhile, Goto is a similar variant that uses beef, tripe, and internal organs. Lastly, Lugaw is the simplest among them all.

With that, it is safe to presume that food recipes are commonly reflections of a country’s history and culture. In the same way, most Philippine cuisine reflects so much of the Philippine history and cultural heritage. Thus, the Filipino Pottage is one of those valuable symbols representing a colorful segment in our history, similar to that of adobo, part of our rich culture.

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What Is Arroz Caldo Recipes Soup Made of 

So let’s get down to the ingredients of recipes similar to this that can give your Pottage soup with extra complimentary taste and burst with flavors through the use of bevy condiments available in your kitchen cabinet.

• RICE - Traditionally, malagkit or glutinous rice is commonly used in Rice Pottage. However, to economize, you can mix Glutinous rice and ordinary rice because the former is more expensive. In this way, your pottage won’t turn too sticky. Nonetheless, any rice will do as it will lose its shape when cooked for a long.

• CHICKEN STOCK - This would play a key role in enhancing the flavor of Rice Pottage, and there are a couple of instant ways to do it. The first one is selecting the chicken part with thicker skin while the other source could be the bones.

On the one hand, a soupy recipe part similar to this, the wing part contains a high collagen amount, which produces an instant creamy and ultra-silky broth. While on the other hand, a bony portion, for example, the leg, can enhance the broth's flavor due to its marrow. Hence, these are the perfect parts for extracting the broiler broth.  

To save effort, prepare vast amounts of broth and store it in your fridge so that you can use it in the future. Or else, you can buy some ready-made seasoning for your broth. But, keep in mind that the quality won’t be the same.

Finally, if you would prepare such a large broth volume and store it, cook it at minimum sodium content. It is because you will still further enhance it when reheated. 

• CHICKEN - Recipes similar to Rice Pottage made of chicken as its main ingredient. If you are a health-conscious person, you can always choose the breast part, but you need to cook it for less time; otherwise, it will lose its juiciness. 

On the contrary, you can’t use the chicken you used in making the broth because it has already lost all its flavor. Instead, use a fresh batch of chicken legs because it is the most tender and the juiciest part. Hence, it won’t dry out even in long cooking time.

• SEASONINGS/AROMATICS - aromatics and condiments are also some of the most integral parts of making Pottage because it will significantly affect the result. For aromatics, this includes a whole hand of ginger for that pungent and spicy aroma. Meanwhile, seasoning refers to fish sauce, onions, and white peppers pimp the umami flavor and give a little heat. 

But far from most pottages, Arroz Caldo isn’t densely seasoned. Instead, you may brighten it up by using turmeric, safflower, or saffron. Nonetheless, even without it, the chicken broth will still give a vibrant, creamy color. The use of turmeric, safflower, or saffron, the bottom line, will provide recipes similar to this accent and flavor layers. 

Variations of Pinoy Porridge Recipe

Arroz Caldo has been around for ages. That means people have already made their version of recipes similar to this. This is according to the available ingredients and preference of taste.

We will share some of its recipe variations that will surely suit your preferred diet and health needs.

Oatmeal Chicken Arroz Caldo Recipe

If you want to shy away from carbs and eat recipes similar to this while staying fit, you can try the Oatmeal Arroz Caldo, where you use oat instead of rice. It is perfect for some people with restricted diets and particular nutritional needs. You can have this light and healthier option for this pottage.

In making this, you’ll need quick-cooked oats, pre-shredded chicken breast, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric for coloring, boiled egg slice or whole, chicken broth, canola oil, and lastly, salt and pepper. 

Moreover, the oatmeal chicken Arroz Caldo is served with nutritional components. White meat such as chicken breast has less fat and is filled with micronutrients such as niacin, phosphorus, Vit B-6, potassium, and protein. Meanwhile, oatmeal is excellent for lowering cholesterol levels, useful for preventing cardiovascular disease, and has more micronutrients. 

With all these health benefits from oatmeal chicken Arroz Caldo, it is a great option to serve your loved ones during gloomy weather. Most of the grandparents love recipes similar to this as well. Also, with all the benefits, recipes identical to this deserve a high recipe rating for all. 

Tripe and Rice Porridge Recipe

If you want a hardcore pottage that will give you all the savory flavors, you should try tripe Arroz Caldo. In this version, you will use beef tripe such as the honeycomb and towel. Aside from that, you might also want to use the heart, small intestines, and beef tendons for that excellent flavor that bursts in your mouth.

To enjoy it fully, you need to boil them for hours before making this porridge. Such long waiting is required to have it soft and tender. Besides, you won’t choose a pottage with innards as chewy as tires. 

Even though it takes so much time to soften the beef tripes, it's worth the wait. Just be cautious in overeating because it might shoot up your bad cholesterol and fats.

New Vegan Rice Porridge Recipe

Try also Vegan Arroz Caldo because you would still want this pottage on a rainy day while avoiding fats. In this version, gather all the essential ingredients, but ditch the meat and the meat broth. Instead, we suggest you use vegetable broth and 4 to 6 dried Snow fungi.

Frog Pottage

Go out of your box by using a slice of exotic meat in recipes similar to this. It may sound inappropriate for some to eat frogs, but it is a fresh and exotic approach to elevating recipes identical to this. Frog meat usually tastes similar to chicken meat; that is why it will surely fit the flavor of recipes similar to this. Furthermore, frog meat is packed with essential nutrients that our body needs. 

On the other hand, if you try using frog meat instead of chicken, it will feel similar to dining in a rustic restaurant giving you that local vibe. You can hard-boiled chicken eggs, scrambled chicken eggs, or even salted eggs for a different vibe. Once you taste a chicken dish like this, you will surely give it a high recipe rating. 

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Troubleshooting Techniques for Porridge Recipes

If somehow trying these variations of Arroz Caldo gives you mishaps, don’t worry; below is the list down you can remedy them or, better yet, prevent them from occurring. 

Salty chicken stock 

This chicken menu dilemma is not new to tons of cooks already. If you face this kind of chicken recipe problem, water is accountable to remedy this mishap. Quick stirring in the soup will have the salt diluted or spread evenly to the liquid inside the pot. 

Bitter aftertaste after hours of cooking

The bitter taste in recipes like this is very inappropriate. This is because you burnt the ginger and garlic way too much. Another reason for this is that you have forgotten to stir the spices and forgot that you are on high heat. In this case, you can add a dash of cream, or vinegar or pair it with something sweet. 

For example, in sauteing spices, and garlic, make sure to stir them on low heat to ensure that you will extract their maximum flavor capacity. 

Tons of Grease on stock

The beef tripe has so much grease in them that it could make you run for the hills. Sometimes, chicken meat also greases a lot. To lessen the oil in the tripe or chicken, refrigerate it, and you’ll notice the chunks of grease starts to solidify. Please remove it.

Soup is runny 

If this happens, you can boil another cup or less of the glutinous rice, then put it into the mix and stir in high heat for short minutes. It will suck on the excess water in just minutes.

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Additional Trivia for Porridge Recipes

Recipes like this are accountable for good and new useful trivia to offer. With this, we will be the chatterbox to share all the exciting facts about recipes like this. 

• Did you know that Arroz Caldo, similar to any other pottage, is an excellent cure for too much intake of cocktails and hangovers?
• Did you also see this pottage is just the same as Lugaw (Filipino pottage), goto (Filipino congee, and Pospas with slightly different ingredients?

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Benefits of Arroz Caldo Recipe Ingredients

If you want to live longer, you should ingest something healthy. Also, to live a healthy lifestyle, you should know what is in your food daily. Do you wonder why this pottage has a significant medicinal effect? It’s because of Pottage ingredients as follows:

• Ginger - Ginger is pretty magical. It has anti-inflammatory properties, it reduces the risk of diabetes, not only that it can also settle an upset stomach, cure morning sickness, and help you lose some weight.

• Chicken breast - is high in protein, can improve your immunity, and correct your body composition while shedding fat.

• Collagen - has a lot of health benefits, but the known side effects are few. It can improve your skin by reducing dryness and wrinkles, improve muscle mass, prevent bone loss, works well with relieving joint pain, 

• Garlic - combats common colds; it improves cholesterol levels; thus, it lowers heart disease risk. The active compound in garlic can reduce high blood pressure. May prevent the early onset of Alzheimer’s or Dementia and also may help you live longer.

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Tips

This article opens a new horizon. We are about to give you an excellent tip we can ever give to partner with Pottage, the perfect choice of condiments to make it even more compelling and enjoyable. We listed down below some of the not-so-new seasonings that would give Pottage layers of aroma and different tastes of flavors that will explode in your mouth.

Calamansi (Philippine lime) - is a tiny ball of citrus fruits. This is not new to our daily lives; they are green in color, and inside is a juicy yellow flesh with some seeds that varies in size. Unlike lemon, calamari doesn’t give too much of a sour taste but also hints of sweetness. 

There’s a lot of this, especially in Southeast Asia. It is ultra-fragrant and tastes similar to a cross between green mandarin and limes. A dash of this on the pottage will make fresh zest that your spoon will come back for more.

However, calamansi isn’t worldwide available; if you can’t find it, Meyer lemons, limes, or yuzu can make for a great substitute.

Fried garlic - Fried garlic opens a great experience in eating recipes similar to this. It can add bits of brittleness to your already excellent pottage adding unique texture and flavor. This gives a new depth of flavor to recipes similar to this aside from crispiness and crunch. 

Pottage can add to already colorful combinations of the rest of the toppings. But other than that, it also adds to the brittleness and flavor.

Egg - aside from chicken as a source of protein, an egg can provide just as much. There are many ways you can mix egg on your Pottage; either you hard boil it, poach it, scramble or mix it into the soup if you are incredibly lazy. It will now thicken your soup.

Patis (fish sauce) - to appeal to most taste buds, patis (fish sauce) can add as a new seasoning for it levels up the umami, thus adding another irresistible flavor to come back for more.

Chicharon - who doesn’t love Chicharon? It makes for a great topping on recipes similar to this. Chicharon doesn’t only add up to the mix's crunchiness, but it also gives that meaty umami flavor. Fresh and new chicharron gives a better taste, unlike those on stock for a long span. 

Chili Sauce - Chili sauce will give that spicy kick to your cooked recipes, adding an exciting heat. Most of the locals have a penchant for spicy food, and aside from using just crushed chilis, a slash of chili oil with toasted garlic does a great trick on every recipe similar to this. 

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Best Served With

You can always eat this pottage as it is or with the new lists of foods below to make your eating experience extra enjoyable for your soul and stomach. Recipes similar to this have a high propensity for an excellent opportunity for you to explore more tastes. You can research some menus to match with recipes similar to this. It opens a great chance for you to discover side recipes for recipes similar to this, but it also opens creativity in your mind. 

• Puto - traditionally, Filipino love eating pottage with newly puto cooked. The sweetness-bitter taste of puto creates a different flavor to the salt-ish, and sour-ish. The tastes complement so well.

• Lumpiang Togue - another best and traditional combination of pottage for the locals, is lumpiang togue dipped in vinegar filled with onions and garlic.

• Tokwa’t Baboy - these are our favorite pair for Pottage. It adds a different texture, but it also adds some bite-worthy stuff to this already fantastic recipe.
• Crispy Chicken Skin- you can use this as a garnish. This will surely add a wonderful crunchy experience to your pottage. Also, it opens an excellent depth of flavor that you will surely love. 
• Cookies - a bowl of hot serving deserves a cookie treat. Hence, with recipes similar to this, you can pair it up with butter cookies, gingersnap cookies, oatmeal cookies, shortbread cookies, and other types as well that will suit your preference. This opens a great chance for you to do something while waiting for the pottage to be ready. 

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Conclusion

With minutes of dedicating a short while in browsing this article, for sure, you have gathered a lot of information that urges you to go straight ahead to the grocery store to buy a grocery for recipes similar to this. We hope an excellent kitchen opportunity identical to this opens up because of this article. 

In all of that, Pottage is one of the oldest recipes in the history of Philippine culinary explorations. It is a witness to the age-old relationship that has been established before. That is between the Filipinos and the Chinese as a people. Thus, indeed a remarkable yet straightforward meal represents the ordinary Juan Dela Cruz.

With this new recipe guide, you are no more clueless about making the greatest Pottage. Plus, you were able to gain confidence in its nutritional value. So next time, don’t be afraid to cook this either traditionally or with some little bits of adventure. 

For more delicious recipe, visit Eat Like Pinoy!

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