Filipino Porridge Is Comfort Food

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

SurfWriter Girl Sunny’s ultimate comfort food is Arroz Caldo – a Filipino porridge also known as “Lugaw” (porridge or congee). Sunny remembers her mother Pat used to make it for her when she was a child.

So, when Sunny’s longtime friend Cynthia Mejia-Giudici gave her this Filipino-American cookbook, she couldn’t wait to try this arroz caldo recipe.

Sunny’s mom Patricia Alorro Magdaug grew up on Panay, an island in the central Philippines, and made arroz caldo for family gatherings. When she came to America as a young bride, the recipe came with her as a memory of home.

This classic Filipino rice dish, which was brought to the Philippines by Chinese immigrants – bringing memories of their own – is like a Chinese congee, but is thicker. It also includes chicken and uses more garlic and ginger.

Arroz Caldo (Lugaw) Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 lbs. skinless chicken bone-in thighs or legs, 1 oz. ginger peeled and thinly sliced, 2 sliced green onions (scallions), 2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 T. soy sauce, 8 c. chicken stock, 1 c. long grain rice (uncooked), salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Place the chicken, ginger, green onions, garlic, and soy sauce into a large (4-5 quart) pot.
2. Pour the chicken stock into the pot and bring the soup to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the rice to the soup and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring the rice so that it won’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

The dish is ready when it has a thick, porridge consistency and the rice is tender. When it’s done, season with salt and pepper. Ladle the porridge into bowls and top with chopped green onions (scallions).

Serves 6 and is sure to make lasting memories.

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

Japanese Honor Nature and Harmony

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

With hearth and home so important during the holidays, this is a good time to explore the Japanese cooking style of “washoku.” This creative, healthy way of cooking can add beautiful and festive new dishes to your table.

This traditional method of Japanese cooking gets its name from the Japanese kanji character 和食 (wa), which means Japan and harmony, and 食 (shoku), the word for food.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel were drawn to washoku because of its harmonious approach to cooking that satisfies all the senses. The food is beautiful to look at and delicious to eat, in tune with the seasons.

Included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, washoku is a study in contrasts with food that is both simple and sophisticated.

A key aspect of washoku is its respect for nature and the four seasons. Food is prepared during its peak season (its “shun”) and cooked in a way that best showcases its flavors.

Spring is the time for asparagus, cabbage, eggplant, snow peas, shitake mushrooms and sanshou (prickly, green berries). Bonito tuna, cuttlefish and rock fish are plentiful then.

Summertime is the shun for edamame soybean pods, kyuri cucumber, and Japanese ginger. Fruits include cherries, peaches and watermelon (often blended into Kakigori, a shaved ice concoction). Eel, flounder, sea urchin and sea bass are in season.

In autumn, during harvest season, some of the fruits and vegetables in their shun include the Asian pear, Matsutake mushroom, persimmon, sweet potato, Japanese pumpkin, sudachi citrus fruit, and kuri chestnut.

The first rice of the harvest, shinmai (or “new rice”), is a softer and sweeter rice that’s greatly anticipated and only available from September to December.

In winter, yuzu, a citrus fruit like an orange, and strawberries come into their own, along with daikon, a winter radish. This is also the season for fugu, the Japanese blowfish that’s both highly desirable and potentially deadly, if improperly prepared.

Wagashi, Japanese traditional sweets often served with green tea, utilize seasonal ingredients, too, especially sweet bean paste.

Whatever the season or the dish, washoku always strives to embody the concept of “omotenashi” – hospitality – making friends and family feel warm and welcome. Things that mean so much now.

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

Japanese Honor Nature and Harmony

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

 With hearth and home so important now, this is a good time to explore the Japanese cooking style of “washoku.”

This traditional method of Japanese cooking gets its name from the Japanese kanji character 和食 (wa), which means Japan and harmony, and 食 (shoku), the word for food.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel were drawn to washoku because of its harmonious approach to cooking that satisfies all the senses. The food is beautiful to look at and delicious to eat, in tune with the seasons.

Included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, washoku is a study in contrasts with food that is both simple and sophisticated.

A key aspect of washoku is its respect for nature and the four seasons. Food is prepared during its peak season (its “shun”) and cooked in a way that best showcases its flavors.

Spring is the time for asparagus, cabbage, eggplant, snow peas, shitake mushrooms and sanshou (prickly, green berries). Bonito tuna, cuttlefish and rock fish are plentiful then.

Summertime is the shun for edamame soybean pods, kyuri cucumber, and Japanese ginger. Fruits include cherries, peaches and watermelon (often blended into Kakigori, a shaved ice concoction). Eel, flounder, sea urchin and sea bass are in season.

In autumn, during harvest season, some of the fruits and vegetables in their shun include the Asian pear, Matsutake mushroom, persimmon, sweet potato, Japanese pumpkin, sudachi citrus fruit, and kuri chestnut.

The first rice of the harvest, shinmai (or “new rice”), is a softer and sweeter rice that’s greatly anticipated and only available from September to December.

In winter, yuzu, a citrus fruit like an orange, and strawberries come into their own, along with daikon, a winter radish. This is also the season for fugu, the Japanese blowfish that’s both highly desirable and potentially deadly, if improperly prepared.

Wagashi, Japanese traditional sweets often served with green tea, utilize seasonal ingredients, too, especially sweet bean paste.

Whatever the season or the dish, washoku always strives to embody the concept of “omotenashi” – hospitality – making friends and family feel warm and welcome. Things that are more important than ever now.

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Incredible Journeys by the Cuppa

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel 

With all of us staying at home and having to make do with limited food supplies, SurfWriter Girl Sunny Magdaug made a great discovery in her cupboard – a treasure trove of teas to choose from.

“I didn’t realize I had so many,” she says. “A tea chest, half-filled boxes and tins of teas gathered over several years. From everyday Lipton to upscale Earl Grey, organic to exotic.”

SurfWriter Girl Patti Kishel looked in her cupboard and was pleasantly surprised to find a stash of teas, as well. “Not only are they delicious and soothing,” says Patti, “but, in these home-bound times, they take us on journeys to faraway places that are just a cup away.”

Patti’s sister Eileen Ferris, who lives in Newington, CT, found some interesting teas, too, including a Bigelow green tea with pomegranate.

Some of SurfWriter Girls’ teas were gifts from our friend Lesley Meredith, who lives in Sammamish, Washington. Of Scottish descent, Lesley is always ready to share a “cuppa” with friends.

And, after a visit to the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, with her husband Steve, Lesley sent us a box of tea from the world-renowned hotel.

This past summer Lesley also sent us teas from the exclusive tea purveyor Harney and Sons, including one called Murder on the Orient Express – that really takes us on a journey!

Whether it’s tea, coffee, spices, wine, or some other special find in your pantry, there may be a treasure waiting to cheer your day…

and spirit you away on an adventure – while staying safe at home.

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Sunny’s Special Soup

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

With the stress and strain that all of us are feeling, it’s nice to know that little acts of kindness can make things better.

When SurfWriter Girl Patti talked to her longtime friend Kathleen Mulcahy this week Kathleen told her that she and her neighbors are helping each other and that she made chicken soup for a neighbor in her eighties who is recovering from pneumonia.

It wasn’t easy finding ingredients, but the woman’s smile made it worth it.

Inspired by this, SurfWriter Girls decided to make a pot of Sunny’s Special Soup – her homemade vegetable soup that keeps the chill away – and share the recipe with you.

Given today’s difficult shopping environment, it’s a recipe that encourages you to be creative and use whatever is on hand whether it’s fresh, frozen or canned veggies.

If you have any chicken, you can add it, too. Or maybe some sliced sausage or even hot dogs. Sunny made some changes this time by adding a can of diced tomatoes and a couple of sliced potatoes – “Because I happened to have them.”

The recipe is easy. Start by sauteing chopped fresh or frozen onions. If adding meat, brown it in the pot. Then add 32 oz. of broth (any kind you like) and two cups of water. Season to taste. Sunny uses salt and pepper, assorted spices from the cupboard, and parsley and cilantro (if available).

When the meat is done she adds the veggies and cooks everything for 20 minutes. And, to jazz it up, If you have a lemon or lime, squeeze in a little juice at the end.

Serve with bread, rolls or crackers…and enjoy a warm bowl of comfort – with enough to share.

Kathleen says that if you know someone in need, help them as much as you can. And, if you’re the one in need, let others help you. Even if we’re temporarily distanced from one another we can still build community…

 a spoonful at a time.

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Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.