Arroz Caldo - Rice Soup

When I was young my dad always made this soup for me when I was sick.  It did not matter what my symptoms were, he would just make this soup.  When we moved to California and my parents were far away, I had to make this for myself.  It has chicken and ginger which boosts my immune system and I swear by a magic, speedy recovery.  Now my husband asks for this soup when he is sick.

Arroz Caldo - Rice Soup

1 chicken breast with bone
8 cups water
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 diced onion
1/8 cup thinly sliced ginger
1 cup sweet rice (you can use regular rice but it does not have the same thickening consistency)
1 juice of lemon
1/8 cup fish sauce

Create the stock by boiling the chicken in a pot with 8 cups of water and a dash of salt and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat to a simmer and let the chicken cook for 30-45 minutes.  Pull out the chicken and let it cool.  When it's cool enough to handle, shred the meat with a fork.  Make sure the meat is well done, there should not be any pink.  Discard the chicken bones and set the meat aside.

In another pot, heat oil and saute onion for about a minute stirring frequently.  Add ginger to mixture and saute for another minute.  Add washed and rinsed rice to mixture and saute for a minute.  Add in the chicken. Pour chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Stir well and put the lid on the pot.  Bring the heat down to a simmer.  Let the soup simmer undisturbed for 30 minutes until the rice is done.  Add lemon juice, fish sauce, and pepper and let it simmer for another minute.

Note, the soup will continue to get thicker.  Before you heat it up in the microwave, you can always add a few tablespoons of water, lemon juice, and fish sauce.

Chicken Adobo...Tacos?

As I've mentioned before, we do a lot of Asian-Mexican fusion recipes in this house since I am Filipino and my husband is Mexican.  Corn tortillas and rice are a staple in our kitchen.  I like to cook up batches of different types of marinaded meats and put them in the freezer for later use.  Usually we do tacos because I am too lazy to wait for the rice to cook.


Chicken Adobo
1 lb chicken drumsticks
1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use organic, gluten-free)
3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
1-2 bay leaves

My dad always taught me to throw out the first boil to clean your meat.  Wash the chicken thoroughly, put it in your pot and bring to a boil.  As soon as it starts to boil, take the pot off the heat and strain it.  Rinse out your pot and the chicken.

Put the chicken back in the pot and pour in the vinegar and water.  Cover and put heat on high until it comes to a boil.  Bring the heat down to a simmer and let the chicken cook for 30 minutes.  You don't have to stir often, but you may want to check to ensure that there is sufficient liquid.  Just add more water if necessary.

After 30 minutes, stir in the soy sauce, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaf and turn the heat back up to medium/medium-high.  Cook for another 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally.  By this time, you should see the meat literally fall off the bone!

Take the pot off of the stove and let it cool down.  Pull the meat off of the bone and spoon in the liquid mixture.  I have a strainer ladle which makes it easy to separate the solid spices from the liquid.  You definitely do not want the bay leaf and peppercorns in your tacos!

I have tried chicken breast and chicken thighs, but I have found them to be either too dry or too fatty for this dish.  The drumsticks seem to be just right for us.  If you try chicken breast, I recommend increasing the vinegar and decreasing the water to accommodate for the dryer meat.

Tacos
Grilled corn tortillas
Chicken Adobo
Green salsa
Diced onions
Shredded lettuce, romaine or iceberg
Cilantro

There are many ways to heat up the corn tortillas. I have used my George Foreman Grill, toaster oven and microwave, but I love it grilled on top of my gas stove! Whichever way you choose to heat up your tortilla, make sure to wet it down on both sides. Be aware that it will stick to whatever surface you put it on so make sure to flip it from side to side to keep from losing the tortilla to your grill. It will catch on fire on top of the gas stove so you have to watch it closely. Just stick to the microwave if you are prone to accidents!

Layer your ingredients on top of your tortillas and there you have your Mexi-pino (Mexican-Filipino) dish!