Arroz Caldo

 Arroz caldo is the Filipino equivalent of chicken and rice soup but thicker and more garlicky and gingery. It is fantastic if you're laid up by Covid because the robust flavors may just make it through your loss of smell and taste. Or if you want something comforting and soothing to your soul but can't afford therapy.

1 TB olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

6 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 shallot, finely diced

2 TB fresh ginger, diced

1/2 TB dried turmeric

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (use the skin to make a fried skin garnish when serving; otherwise, you can do skinless)

2 TB fish sauce

5 cups chicken broth, low or no sodium

1/2 cup glutinous rice (also called sweet rice)

1/2 cup jasmine rice

salt and pepper to taste

For Serving (optional)

3 TB fried garlic

2 calamansi or lemon

2 green onions, thinly sliced

3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Fried chicken skin

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add minced fresh garlic, onion, shallots, ginger, and turmeric. Stir until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add in chicken thighs and sauté for another 5 minutes, until browned.

Add in fish sauce and cook, covered, for about 2 minutes. Remove the cover and add both types of rice and stir to coat. Pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low and let simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the rice doesn't burn at the bottom.

Once the rice is cooked to the desired texture, season the dish with salt and pepper to taste. At this point, you can remove the chicken thighs, debone and shred them, then add the meat back into the dish. You can also add more fish sauce and/or a squeeze of calamansi or lemon.

Top each bowl of arroz caldo with slices of hard-boiled egg, fried garlic and chicken skin, and green onion slices. Or just eat it straight, while questioning your life choices.

Note: If you have leftovers, it will thicken considerably after refrigeration. You can loosen it up with more chicken broth when reheating, if you wish.