Lugaw with Chicken and Egg (Arroz Caldo with egg)

"Chickens don't praise their own soup" ~Martinican Proverb

You can eat it plain or with egg or chicken. Add some side dishes like lumpiang toge (bean sprouts spring roll), fried tokwa (tofu) or tokwa't baboy (tofu and pork) or kwek-kwek/tokneneng. Or even topped it with adobong atay and balunbalunan (chicken liver and gizzard adobo). Drooling! This Filipino comfort food is very versatile. Perfect for rainy days! Let's make and eat lugaw!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup glutinous rice / malagkit

300 grams chicken, cut into serving pieces

8-10 cups chicken broth or water

1 medium onion, sliced or chopped

2 thumb size ginger, julienned

1 head garlic, chopped

2 boiled eggs 

1/2 Tbsp garlic powder (optional)

1/8 cup patis or fish sauce

salt and pepper to taste 

spring onion, sliced (toppings)

vegetable oil

PROCEDURE:

1. Put a little oil in a pan, saute the garlic until golden brown. Put it in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Add the ginger and onion in the pan. Cook until the onion becomes translucent and the ginger releases its aroma.

3. Add the chicken pieces and cook it for 5 minutes.

4. Add the malagkit and fish sauce. Mix and cook for a few minutes. Then add the broth or water.

5. Let it boil and simmer for 35-45 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add more "hot" water if you find the lugaw too thick. Add the garlic powder and the toasted garlic (you may reserve some toasted garlic for garnishing). Stir until the garlic powder completely dissolved in the lugaw. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat. 

6. Serve hot with sliced hard boiled egg. Garnish with spring onion and garlic. Share and enjoy.

QUICK NOTES:

1. You may also use rice for this dish. Just reduce the amount of water. Start with 6 cups, add more (use hot water when adding water) until you reach your desired consistency.

2. If you want a little spicy, drizzle some chili oil in your lugaw. Hmmm, yummy!

3. If you like tangy, squeeze calamansi.

Happy rainy day,

Rhea

Homemade Vanilla Extract

My life is just great now. Normal. Vanilla. ~Jason Bateman

Vanilla is always associated with being ordinary and boring... Unfair, isn't it? For me, vanilla is playful, exciting, elegant, moody, exotic, sensual, classic! It's sweet yet spicy. Creamy and buttery. Floral and fruity. Hmm... woody? smoky? nutty? The taste and aroma just explodes inside your mouth whenever you taste anything with vanilla (real vanilla). And I'm thinking now, maybe if there's no vanilla in the world, our favorite desserts will be just plain, ordinary.... boring!

Vanilla extracts are very easy to make. You only need two ingredients. Yes! you read it right, only 2 ingredients. Vanilla beans and alcohol. For the alcohol, you can use rum, vodka, brandy, or bourbon. Make sure that it is 70-80 proof (35%-40% alcohol), check the label please.
 

INGREDIENTS:

5 vanilla beans (I used the Madagascar type)

1 cup alcohol (I used half vodka, half rum)

THING(S) YOU NEED:
bottle with cap/lid

PROCEDURE:
1. Wash thoroughly the bottle and the cap. Allow it to air dry.
2. Using a sharp paring knife, split the beans in half (lengthwise). 
3. Place the vanilla beans inside the bottle then fill it with your desired alcohol.
4. Put the cap/lid tightly and place the bottle in a cool, dry, and dark place. I just put mine inside the kitchen cabinet.
5. Give the bottle a good shake once in a while.
6. Wait (patiently) for 2 months or more before using it. The color will become darker and the flavor will become more intense as you wait longer. I allow it to age for 3 months before using it.

QUICK NOTES:
1. Once you use the vanilla extract, simply re-fill it with alcohol to replace what you have consumed. Give it a good shake occasionally.
2. If you want a unique gift for the coming holidays, you may consider this. Just put it in small bottles and print a cute label for your homemade extract. 
3. Do not refrigerate either the vanilla extract or beans as this can damage the extract and cause the beans to crystallize or dry.

DID YOU KNOW?
(adapted from vanilla.com & joyofbaking)
1. Vanilla is the second most expensive spice next to saffron. Why? Because vanilla is the most labor intensive agricultural product in the world. 
2. Vanilla is the fruit of a thick green orchid vine that grows wild on the edge of the Mexican tropical forest.
3. Studies have shown that the fragrance of vanilla helps to lower cravings for high-fat foods.
4. Vanilla was once so rare and expensive that only royalty had access to it
5. The Aztecs developed the fermentation process of sweating and drying the beans to develop the vanillin.  They used vanilla to flavor their cocoa drinks "xocolatl".  Vanilla is still used today to flavor chocolate. 
6. Up until the early years of the 20th century vanilla was used in the pharmacy to calm upset stomachs. In fact, Coca Cola syrup was often used as a stomach sedative, and later, Coke was substituted for calming the effects of nausea. The reason? Coca Cola contains a large percentage of vanilla!


Happy homemaking,

Rhea