How did you feel cooking something for the first time? Were you nervous? Were your ingredients measured precisely and carefully? Do you time it exactly to the last second? Or do you just loosely follow the procedures and measurements and pray that it turns out good?

Oh, well. As a chef (self-imposed) with lots of experience (of watching Youtube videos. lolz), I categorize myself on the latter. I believe that with prayer nothing is impossible to achieve. Prayer works even in the kitchen. 😆

As seen on the title of this post, this was my first time to cook Arroz Caldo (around May of 2022). Arroz Caldo is rice porridge with rice and chicken as its main ingredients using only simple spices. Of course, let's not forget water. The meat commonly used for Arroz Caldo is chicken, but people can be creative too sometimes.

This food is a staple Filipino food served especially during breakfast or during rainy season or for someone who's sick. It is best eaten warm.

COOKING ARROZ CALDO FOR THE FIRST TIME!

There's one thing I've realized when you're solely in-charged of cooking food...

Freedom.

You can add whatever ingredient you want and to the measurement you desire. So here are the ingredients for Straykat's very own Arroz Caldo:

(Check end of post for the correction. I am just showing you what I exactly did on my first try.)

2 cups chicken meat, sliced and deboned
⚠️3/4 cup uncooked rice (see end of post)
6 cups water
3 to 4 garlic bulb (for fried garlic)
3 garlic bulbs
1/2 medium-sized onion
1 1/2 Tbsp. ginger
2 Tbsp. butter
1 chicken cube flavoring
fish sauce
ground pepper
onion leaves
boiled eggs

PROCEDURE

1. Mince garlic and onion. Chop ginger into thin long strips.
   
   

2. Heat the pot and put 1 Tbsp. butter. Put the minced 3 to 4 bulbs of garlic and fry it until it turns golden brown and crispy. Set aside into a container.
   
   

3. Put 1 Tbsp. butter and put the minced 3 bulbs garlic, chopped ginger, and chopped onion. Cook until onion turns glossy and a bit transparent.
   
   

4. Add the sliced chicken meat next. Fry until the skin turns a little golden brown.
   
   

5. Add ⚠️ 3/4 cup rice. Mix for at least a minute.
   
   
   
   
   

6. Add 6 cups water. Cover the pot and wait for the water to boil.
   
   

7. Add chicken cube. Cover the pot again and simmer until the consistency of the porridge becomes thick. Add water if the porridge becomes too thick. If you want a porridge that has more liquid, just add more water.
   
   

8. Add pepper and fish sauce next. Add as much as you want according to your taste. You can also add some sliced onion leaves here if you want.
   
   
   
   
   

9. Scoop some Arroz Caldo into a bowl and add sliced boiled eggs. Then garnish with chopped onion leaves and fried garlic. You can also slice some lime and attach it to the side of the bowl. That's what some stores do when serving this food so I thought of doing too. :)
   
   
   
   
   

Squeeze the limes into the arroz caldo then mix! You can strain the lime with your fork.

It's done! Let's eat!

⚠️ IMPORTANT NOTE: ⚠️

3/4 cup of rice was a mistake I did on my first attempt. Just use 1/2 cup of rice. Then I added 7 cups of water on my next arroz caldo instead of 6. Or add as much water as you wish. Depends on you actually. My mama pointed out that my first porridge was too thick so I added more water on the next and it turned out perfect. The photos above were my first attempt. Notice how thick the porridge was.

Then this was my second attempt.

If the taste becomes bland, just add more fish sauce and ground pepper until you get the taste you desire. :)

And that's it, friends! Was my recipe clear? I hope so!

So far, when mama was still alive, she likes it and she looks for it from time to time. She thought that the succeeding Arroz Caldo that I cooked were bought from a restaurant. She also commended my fried garlic. Mama approved! Yay!

Arroz Caldo is one of the simplest Filipino foods to cook and I'm glad I was able to learn how to cook it and let my mama taste my own version of this food. I hope she remembers the taste wherever she is right now. ☺️

_{🐾
Straykat}