Arroz Caldo with Liver on the 4th of July

The inauguration of the new president of the republic of the Philippines was last June 30 and last June 12 we just celebrated our independence day. Much more reason for me to do some Filipino cooking on my table. To be honest I am not a fan of Filipino dishes so I rarely make them. If I make one, for sure it will no longer taste as the original. Some people say when I do Filipino cuisines, the outcome is very different but not in a negative way. The reason behind it is because I always add a unique twist.

Our Filipino tradition of making Chicken Porridge has originated from the colonization of Spanish way back 1500's. This food is something I did today. Same process how we do our porridge but I did some twist by adding too much ginger to achieve a more brilliantly yellow color. And aside from pepper and salt for seasoning, I added Paprika and Lemongrass powder for some spicy taste. To make my porridge meatier I topped it with Pork Liver Adobo aside from the chicken in the mixture.

My pledge today, on the 4th of July is to do more Filipino cuisines and not be influenced by the food Uncle Sam brought to my country. To be honest Philippines has become a fastfood nation and I completely hate it. People are more unhealthy and more lazy to do some home cooked meals. Well in general most of Filipino foods are also unhealthy like Bagnet, Pork Sisig, Liempo etc. But generally speaking what we are really missing when we settle for fastfood is the real essence of eating sumptuous dishes rather than processed burgers or artificial fries and so on. I think a new Food Revolution has to take over in our eating landscape.

ARROZ CALDO with LIVER

Ingredients:

• Glutinous Rice
• Ginger (Shredded)
• Onion Leaves / Shallots
• Chicken (thigh part is the best)
• Pork or Chicken Liver (cut into small cubes)
• Soy Sauce
• Salt & Pepper
• Paprika & Lemongrass Powder
• Cane Vinegar
• Butter/Olive Oil

Procedure:

Boil chicken and set aside the stock. Peel and shred the chicken then set aside also. Heat a casserole then add butter or olive oil. Saute shallots then add the shredded chicken and ginger. Season it with salt, pepper, parika and lemongrass powder. Add in the glutinous rice and fold it with the mixture. Add in the chicken stock and let it boil for 30 minutes. Stir it constantly 'til it thickens. Maybe you can have a total of one hour boiling it. Depends on the amount of rice you are cooking. While boiling the porridge, prepare a small pan then heat it with butter. Fry the liver cutlets then season it with salt and pepper. Allow it to cook the add a bit of soysauce and vinegar. Allow the sauce to evaporate then wait 'til it cooks. When the porridge is cooked top it with chopped onion leaves and pork or chicken liver then serve.

This is one of the best comfort food a Filipino can share on one Rainy Day afternoon :-)

hugs,
joanie xxx