Arroz Caldo à la Olga

As a child, Arroz Caldo was prepared by my nanny and fed to me whenever I was sick.

Since we are living away from the comfort of home, whenever we are sick, we have to prepare it on our own. Not only when we are sick but it warms us during the winter season.

I vaguely remember the Arroz Caldo of my childhood made using cooked rice, sautéed in ginger, garlic and onions. Chicken and boil eggs would be added for a bit of flair.

When I started cooking it, I altered the recipe, adding more ingredients: fried garlic, fried tofu, spring onions and lemon on the side. I call it Arroz Caldo à la Olga.

However, today, I made it plain and simple, just spring onions and lemon on the side.

ARROZ CALDO à la Olga ·        2 tbsp cooking oil ·        2 cups of cooked rice ·        3 whole boneless chicken thigh, size of your preference (you may use any part of the chicken, even with bones – Achi and I prefer it boneless because we don’t want bloody chicken) ·        1 large onion, chopped ·        5 cloves garlic, chopped ·        1 ½ inches of ginger, chopped ·        1 liter of chicken stock ·        Spring onions (optional) ·        4 boiled eggs, sliced or halved ·        Lemon wedges ·        Salt and pepper, to taste Sauté ginger, onions and garlic in oil. Once fragrant and onions are slightly transparent, add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer at least 10 mins ensuring that the chicken is cooked, time may vary depending on the chicken used. Add rice, mix well, pour chicken stock and simmer until the mixture reach a thick consistency. Serve hot and garnish with spring onions and boiled eggs on top, lemon wedges on the side. You may also top it with fried garlic and fried tofu. If you are vegetarian, just do without the chicken and boiled eggs.