The CookMobile » Soups

Arroz Caldo

Lalaine — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:22:02 +0000

When I was growing up in the Philippines, I would occasionally feign illness to miss a school day. My mother would then send our househelp to buy and bring back every type of food I could think of and one of my favorite requests was arroz caldo bought from the downtown wet market. Before she would leave for work, my mother would live detailed instructions to our yaya on what times I will be taking my paracetemol and on when to heat up my arroz caldo. My mother has always been good that way, always bent on making her children happy…and spoiled. Did she know I was faking? Of course.

The weather today pretty much started warm and sunny but by the time I headed home from work at 5 PM, the temperature has plummeted to the nippy 60’s and the skies had already shifted to an ominous black. For some inexplicable reason, the prospect of a heavy rain made me feel alone and lonely and afraid. I do not know why, but that very moment, I felt like a little child longing for her mother to make things alright. I drove all the way home wishing for the warmth and comfort of a bowl of piping hot arroz caldo.

Arroz caldo is an excellent way of reusing leftover rice and extending meat to a substantial meal offering. Although its name suggests Spanish infleunce, its preparations are more similar to Chinese porridge. This filipino variation of lugaw starts like tinolang manok, with aromatics such as onion, ginger and garlic for flavor, and completes with rice thrown in to cook in broth to desired viscosity. The arroz caldo recipe below is how I like to enjoy mine: soupy and gingery~and has been tested and given many thumbs-up by my beloved duo at home and my friends at work. You can, of course, modify the amounts of water and seasonings to suit your desired consistency and taste.

Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (around 3 to 4 lbs), bone-in, cut into small pieces
1 palm-size ginger, peeled and minced (to about 1 cup)
2 heads garlic, peeled and minced
1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
5 pieces chicken bouillion cubes (or 2 1/2 tbsps chicken base powder)
14 to 16 cups water
salt and pepper
2 tbsps patis (fish sauce)
cooking oil
green onions, finely chopped
calamansi or lemon juice

Procedure

Trim unwanted fat from chicken parts, wash and drain well. Wash rice and drain well.

Set aside around 1 tsp of the minced garlic. In a small pan, fry over low heat the remainder of the garlic until brown and toasted.

In a deep, heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil. Saute ginger, onions and the teaspoon of reserved garlic until tender and aromatic.

Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and have rendered juice. Pour in fish sauce. Continue to stir for around 1 to 2 minutes.

Add in rice. Stir continously until rice starts to lightly brown. Pour in 10 cups of the water. Allow to a boil, removing scum that may float to surface. Add bouillion cubes. Cover pot and lower heat to simmer. Check and stir regularly. Add the rest of the water in 1 cup increments and as needed. Continue to cook until the rice has softened and the congee has thickened to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste ( I used about 1/8 tsp pepper and 1/2 tbsp salt).

Ladle into bowls and top with chopped green onions and fried garlic bits. Squirt in calamansi or lemon juice to taste. Serve hot.

Tip:
Mince ginger as small as you can so that they are almost unrecognizable in the soup.

Soup Recipes in The CookMobile Archive

Shrimp and Vegetable Soup

Pork Pozole

Tinolang Palaka (Frog Legs in Ginger Broth)

Lalaine — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:27:54 +0000

My husband is a good man. For the most part, he is a responsible, hardworking and kind soul. But on occasions, he could be so insensitive and downright clueless I wonder if I picked up the wrong amphibian from the pond. I went home from my nursing clinicals last Thursday at 9:30 PM, went straight to the kitchen to fix dinner and laid the table for him. He ate, got up and went directly to the living room to watch TV. Ahem. Dude, the dishes? After years of kissing, my toad sometimes forgets how to be a charming prince.

Conquer your initial aversion and take that first bite. You’ll discover that frog legs taste almost like chicken, although the meat is somewhat sweeter. Try frogs in fried or stew recipes that call for our favorite poultry and believe me when I say, you’ll be pleasantly suprised.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

4 frog legs
1/2 small onion, finely sliced
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1/2 green papaya or 1 chayote, peeled and cubed
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
4 cups water
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper

Procedure

Cut frog legs into two parts.

In a deep pot, heat vegetable oil. Saute onions, garlic and ginger until tender and aromatic.

Add in frog legs. Saute until lightly browned. Add fish sauce. Lower heat and continue to cook until juices seep through.

Add water. Simmer until frog legs are almost cooked. Skim off any scum that aggregates on top. Add
papaya or chayote. Continue to simmer until vegetables are tender.

Season with salt and pepper. Add spinach leaves. Turn off heat and keep covered until spinach leaves are wilted. Serve hot.

Truly Pinoy Recipes in The Cookmobile:

Nilagang Baka (Beef Shank Soup)

Tinolang Manok (Stewed Chicken in Ginger)

Mussels and Spinach in Ginger Soup

Lalaine — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:28:16 +0000

Although we haven’t officially entered “soup season”, the temperature today was a comfortable and friendly 71 degrees. This mussel soup, however, can be enjoyed in whatever weather. With the ingredients few and light, and the ginger-based broth cool and refreshing, this mussel soup is a delicious way to re-fill and re-hydrate even in the height of summer months!

As I don’t always have access to fresh mussels, I usually use frozen New Zealand greenshells which are readily available year round. The rule of thumb is, mussels are done once they open up their shells. What if you are using ones with the other half shell already discarded? My mother who loves to cook this dish next in line to her pinakbet advises, mussels are A-okay 2 to 3 minutes after they’ve come to a rolling boil. And that works for me. Also note that like my chicken tinola, I love this dish with significant zing from fresh ginger. You can, of course, modify the amount of this aromatic according to preference.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

2 lbs mussels
1 medium onion, sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 thumb-sized fresh ginger, peeled and julienned (around 2 tsps)
3 plum tomatoes
1 bunch fresh spinach, separated and ends trimmed
2 tbsps fish sauce
2 tbsps vegetable oil
4 to 5 cups water
salt and pepper

Procedure

Submerge mussels in cold water for a good 30 minutes. Scrub shells and remove beard.

In a sauce pot, heat vegetable oil. Saute onions, garlic and ginger until tender and aromatic. Add in tomatoes. Continue to cook and stir until tomatoes are softened. Mash tomatoes with back of spoon.

Pour in fish sauce. Allow to cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour in water. Bring to a gentle boil. Add in mussels. Continue to cook until shells open, discarding unopened mussels. Skim off any foam that accumulates on top.

Season with salt and pepper. When mussels have opened, add in spinach. Turn off heat and allow steam to continue cooking spinach. Serve hot.

Fish and Seafood Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Pancetta-Wrapped Scallops

Shrimp Fried Rice

Sinigang na Buntot ng Baboy (Pig’s Tail in Tamarind Broth)

Lalaine — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 01:38:07 +0000

Yes, you read right. Pig’s tail. Do I see squirming? Do I hear puking? Sure, pig tails in soups, or in anything for that matter, is certainly an acquired taste but let me say, you haven’t had sinigang if you haven’t had sinigang na buntot ng baboy. The thick fatty skin, bones, and the tender meat morsels between those bones make a sinigang just bursting with flavor!

I am a fourth-generation US immigrant. My great-grandfather jumped ship (literally) in the 1940’s and lived as a farm laborer in Hawaii. My grandmother followed in the early 1960’s and settled in California. With limited grasp of the language and only an elementary education, she carved her living by providing babysitting services in her small Los Angeles apartment. Being one who never shied away from work, she supplemented this meager income by making and selling homemade chicharon, tocino, and longanisa. Her little cottage industry flourished for two reasons: heavy patronage from other Filipino immigrants who did not have convenient access to food products from the old country, and very little out-of-pocket expenses. She used to tell us, “All it involved was hard work, most of my meat I got for free.” For free? Yes, because butchers gave away the hocks, the swine’s skin, the entrails and almost all the parts of the carcass outside of the regular cuts being sold in stores.

My father, who came in 1983, recounts that goat meat, whole fish and other indigenous produce from the Philippines, had to be sourced from stores that were usually hours away. When my brothers and I arrived in 1990, Asian supermarkets were by then minutes away, but fresh malunggay, kangkong and the likes were still uncommon offerings on the shelves. Regular trips to farmer’s markets were necessary to avail of the food items we loved and missed. And the world turned, time flew, 2008 crept in, and what do I find in the meat section of our nearby Food 4 Less yesterday? Pig’s tail, pig’s feet, pig’s necks. This can be explained in two words: cultural fusion.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

2 lbs pork tails, cut into serving sizes
4 to 5 pieces gabi roots, peeled and halved
1 daikon radish, around 5 to 6-inches long, peeled and cubed
1 medium bunch kangkong (water spinach), cut to 3-in lengths and sturdier ends discarded
1 cup long beans, around 3-in in lengths
1 medium eggplant, cut to serving portions with end discarded
4 to 5 pieces okra, ends trimmed
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, quartered
1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup tamarind base, or around 4 cups fresh tamarind
2 tbsps cooking oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper
5 to 6 cups water
chili, optional

Procedure

In a deep sauce pot, heat oil. Saute onions and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add in and sear pork tails, around 5 to 7 minutes. Stir and move pork regularly.

Pour in fish sauce. Lower heat and allow to simmer for around 1 to 2 minutes. Add in tomatoes, squishing in pan with back of spoon to soften. Cover and continue to simmer until tomatoes expel their juices.

Add water. Skim any accumulated scum on top. Simmer until pork is fork tender, adding more water as needed to maintain 5 to 6 cups of water.

When pork is brought to desired tenderness, add gabi roots and daikon. When tender, add in long beans and chili pepper.

Season with tamarind package, decreasing or adding amount depending on preference. If using fresh tamarind, place tamarind in broth. Cook until softened. Remove with slotted with spoon, place in a bowl and add around 1/2 cup of broth. Mash with back of spoon until pulp is separated from seeds and skin. Strain mixture in a wire mesh and return pulp and broth to pot, discarding skin and seeds.

Add in kangkong leaves and allow to cook for around 1 minute. Serve hot.

Truly Pinoy Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Mussels and Spinach in Ginger Soup

Giniling na Baboy

Shrimp and Chicken Wonton Soup

Lalaine — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:56:59 +0000

My husband has been feeling under the weather these past two days. Flu season again! Chicken afritada was our dinner menu last Friday night but ever the caring better-half, I went ahead with the fixings of a hot soup dish.

Wonton soup seemed to be the best choice as I always keep wonton wrappers handy at home because my daughter loves cream cheese wontons. I also had ready chicken filling inside the freezer as I made lumpiang shanghais for a potluck at work last week. Although this soup recipe only called for 10 wontons, I prepared all of the 40+ skins in the package and kept them in the freezer to be fried wonton appetizers at a later date.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

3 to 4 cups water
10 wontons, filled with chicken mixture
1 cup boneless chicken thigh meat, sliced into strips
1/2 cup carrots, sliced into strips
1/2 cup napa cabbage, cut into cubes
1/2 celery rib, sliced into strips
1/2 cup shrimp (around 10 pieces), peeled and deveined
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup bamboo shoots
2 tbsps water chestnuts, sliced
1 tsp green onions, chopped
5 to 6 cups chicken broth
2 tbsps vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Procedure

Prepare chicken-filled wontons. Filling recipe follows. In a sauce pot, boil around 4 cups of water. Gently drop wonton and allow to cook until wontons are cooked through, around 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and drain wontons. Set aside.

Heat oil in pot. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add in chicken and saute until lightly browned.

Pour in broth. Bring to a gentle boil and continue until chicken is cooked.

Add shrimp. Simmer until shrimp turns pink, around 1 to 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots. Allow to simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender, yet crisp. Add bamboo shoots and cabbage. Add wontons. Continue to cook for around 1 to 2 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with green onions. Serve hot.

Chicken Filling

1 cup chicken, ground
1 egg
1 tbsp water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 tbsp carrots, finely chopped
1 tbsp green onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients well. Use as fillings for wonton or eggroll wrappers.

Tips:
1) Sliced shitake mushrooms can be added to the filling.
2) Ground pork can be substituted in place of ground chicken.
3) Unused portions of filling can be stored in a ziploc bag in the freezer for weeks. Thaw out when needed.

Soup and Salad Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Shrimp and Vegetable Soup

Mussels and Spinach in Ginger Soup

Sinigang na Manok (Stewing Chicken in Tamarind Broth)

Lalaine — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:45:18 +0000

The little chicken that could…drive me to bankruptcy.

I am a sucker for good deals. Most often than not, though, I get suckered in by better suckers.

When I did my grocery shopping last Saturday, I found this stewing chicken on sale for $1.00. Can you imagine me, feeling every bit the champion bargain shopper as I pushed my shopping cart to the cashier containing FIVE of these chickens? Since I am one of those who unwittingly buy full price the shoes that go on sale for half-price the day after, I question why I still bother. Naturally, like the story of the rest of my finances, my one-dollar chicken took three hours to tenderize in the pot and probably cost me extra $10 in gas. How can such a scrawny little thing take that long to cook? I bet this pecker spent 24/7 of its life prancing around the yard and chasing worms as it sure had some mighty strong leg muscles! I was almost driven to madness by the many times my family, with forks in their hands, asked, “Are we eating yet?”. Ten in the evening and we were still staring at the chicken stewing in the pot. Good Lord! Why me? I bought FIVE!

If we ignored the fact that it took forever to cook, my one-dollar chicken was actually good buy for this sinigang na manok dish. The resulting broth was rich and bold with flavor, and with a touch of sourness from fresh tamarind, the little chicken that could…was worth the wait.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 stewing chicken, cut into parts
1 chayote, peeled and cut into cubes
1 bunch pechay, ends trimmed and leaves seperated
4 to 5 pcs bagiuo beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 thumb-size ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 pkg tamarind powder or 4 cups fresh tamarind
vegetable oil.
water (LOTS!!)

Procedure

In a pot, heat vegetable oil. Saute onions, garlic and ginger until aromatic.

Saute in chicken until lightly browned and natural juices seep from chicken, around 8 to 10 minutes.

Pour 5 to 6 cups of water. Simmer chicken, regularly removing scum that accumulates on the top. Cover pot and continue to simmer until tender, around 2 to 3 hours. Add more water as needed, around 1 to 2 cups at a time. Maintain 5 to 6 cups of broth.

Add in chayote cubes. Cook until tender, around 4 to 5 minutes. Add in bagiuo beans. After 2 to 3 minutes, add pechay and allow to cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Soup and Salad Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Sinigang na Baka (Beef Ribs in Tamarind Broth)

Nilagang Baka (Beef Shank Soup)

Sculpin Fish in Miso Broth

Lalaine — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:38:27 +0000

Since I started this blog last year, I have grown a habit of harassing fellow store customers for recipes. Somehow, these interactions have been addicting, not only for the fresh kitchen ideas, but also for the sense of kinship they bring. Was I ever offhandedly treated by those I approached, you ask? Never. 100% of the people I interrupted on their shopping trips have pleasantly acknowledged me and entertained my inquiries. Quite a few even accompanied me to the aisles where I can find the ingredients. Oh yes, the human race is not a lost cause, yet.

I was at the fish section of our nearby asian grocer waiting for my turn and at the same time, was eyeing this sculpin fish from a couple of steps away, when a woman, who looked and sounded European, asked for the fish cleaner to gut and cut two of the same fish I was looking at. I have never heard of and more, have never seen this fish before so I was mighty curious on what way she was going to prepare it. The fish looked pretty meaty and sturdy and just right for bouillabaisse recipes. But fish soup with miso? Interesting. She said she cooks hers with just the broth and the fish. I completed my recipe with enoki mushrooms and bokchoy for added color and texture. I prepared my soup stock instantly with hon-dashi but if you’d like to try your hand in making dashi from scratch, here is a very useful link. For my soybean paste, I used aka miso, the red and bolder variety. Word of the wise, miso should not be allowed to boil. Simmer and turn off just before it starts to ripple. I lived in Japan for a couple years and from what I’ve heard and learned there, miso soup should not be reheated also. Hmmm? I wonder why I never got around to asking why that is. Maybe because my grasp of the Japanese language did not progress beyond watashi wa lalaine desu?

Anyway, this sculpin fish with its delicious miso broth is off to join the other Japanese-inspired meal ideas culminating at Joelen’s Culinary Adventures this month of August.

Makes 4 Serving

Ingredients

2 schulpin fish, cleaned, gutted and cut to serving pieces
5 to 6 cups water
1 tbsp hon-dashi powder
1/2 small onion, sliced thinly
2 tbsps aka miso
1 bokchoy, end trimmed and leaves separated
1 bunch enoki mushrooms, ends trimmed
vegetable oil

Procedure

Wash and prepare vegetables.

In a small soup pot, heat vegetable oil. Saute onions until tender. Add fish and saute until it slightly changes color but not cooked through. Remove fish.

Pour in water. Allow to simmer. Season water with hon-dashi. Add in fish and continue to simmer until cooked, around 5 minutes. Add in bokchoy and simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove around 1/4 cup of broth and combine with miso paste. Blend well. Pour into broth. Add enoki mushrooms. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes and turn off heat before broth starts to boil. Serve immediately.

Fish and Seafood Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Mexican-style Shrimp

Manila Clams with Black Bean Sauce

Shrimp and Vegetable Soup

Lalaine — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:41:21 +0000

I apologize for the recent influx of pork recipes here. I just realized that I’ve been cooking and posting pork recipes like as if I bought a whole carcass on sale. I totally agree! It’s high time I offer something light and satisfying such as this shrimp and vegetable soup.

This soup assembles pretty fast and easy. To accompany the shrimp, I picked a few pieces of yellow carrots off a bag of malibu blend vegetables I had in the freezer and around a cup of broccoli florets off my bag of salad mix. I also quartered a couple of rose potatoes for a dose of carbs. You can certainly modify the type of vegetables to add~zucchini, corn cobbettes and cabbage are some of my favorites for this soup.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

8 to 12 pcs medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined with tail left intact
4 to 5 pcs broccoli florets
2 medium-size rose potatoes, quartered
1 medium-size carrot, peeled and cut to serving chunks
1 medium size yellow carrot (or 1/2 cup from frozen blend), peeled and cut to serving chunks
1 bay leaf
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 medium-size roma tomatoes, diced
5 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
olive oil
salt and pepper
lemon juice
cilantro, chopped
hot sauce

Procedure

Wash and prepare vegetables.

In a pot, heat olive oil. Saute onions and garlic until aromatic. Add in tomatoes. Continue to cook and stir until tomatoes soften. Regularly squish tomatoes with back of spoon.

Pour in broth. Add bay leaf. Allow to a friendly boil over medium heat. Add in potato quarters. Lower heat and simmer until spuds are tender. Add in vegetables and shrimp. Continue to cook until vegetables are tender but crisp, and shrimp turns pink.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle onto individual serving bowls and add a spritz of lemon juice, a dash of hot sauce, and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro. Serve hot with warm tortillas.

Soup and Salad Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Tinolang Palaka (Frog Legs in Ginger Broth)

Nilagang Baka (Beef Shank Soup)

Chicken Soup with Pandan Leaves

Lalaine — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:52:42 +0000

Simple. Flavorful. Exotic.
This chicken soup idea that I found on a package of Knorr chicken broth cubes borrows the basic ingredients of the chicken tinola as it, like the classic filipino dish, also starts with sauteed garlic, onions and ginger. However, the addition of pandan leaves lends a unique, yet subtle, taste and aroma to the broth.

Makes 4 Servings

2 lbs whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
1/2 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 thumb-sized fresh ginger, thinly sliced
6 to 8 pieces of pandan leaves, cut to around 6 inches long
2 broth cubes or 2 tbsp of broth granules
5 to 6 cups water
2 tbsps vegetable oil

In a deep sauce pot, heat vegetable oil. Saute onion, ginger and garlic until tender and aromatic, around 2 to 3 minutes.

Add chicken and continue to saute until natural juices from chicken seeps through. Pour in water. Bring to a boil.

Stir in broth cube until fully dissolved. Add pandan leaves. Lower heat and simmer until chicken meat is tender.

TIP:
I was lucky to find pandan leaves in our local filipino store, although disappointingly in frozen form. If leaves are not available, use instead about a teaspoon of pandan extract.

Soup and Salad Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Shrimp and Vegetable Soup

Sinigang Big Head Carp (Carp Fish in Tamarind Broth)

Chicken Noodle Soup

Lalaine — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:09:41 +0000

Here is an easy but delicious take on the everyday and very tired chicken noodle soup. The ingredients are simple~strips of chicken, full-bodied stock, fideo noodles, mirepoix and a dash each of salt and
pepper. As it is the heart of this soup recipe, please visit Simply Recipes for detailed instructions and other links on how to make quality chicken stock.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 cup mirepoix (1 stalk celery, 1/2 onion, 1 carrot)
5 to 6 cups chicken stock
1 cup boneless chicken thigh meat (sliced to thin strips)
2 coils of fideo noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Procedure

To prepare Mirepoix:

Peel onions and carrots. Wash and trim celery. Cut vegetables into cubes and place in a food processor. Use “”pulse mode” to finely chop.

In a sauce pan, heat olive oil. Saute mirepoix until softened, around 2 to 3 minutes.
Add in chicken strips and continue to stir until meat browns lightly, around 4 to 5 minutes.

Break fideo noodles into pieces. Saute in pan with the mirepoix and chicken, until lightly browned.

Pour in chicken stock. Allow to boil. Lower heat to simmer. Cover and continue to simmer until chicken and noodles are fully cooked, around 10 to 15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Soup Recipes in the Archive:

Sculpin Fish in Miso Broth

Chicken Soup with Pandan Leaves