Arroz Caldo (www.wikipedia.com)

It has been an exciting week fighting off the flu with the world’s most beloved cure: chicken soup. Not just any chicken soup, but the kind that takes one back to every grandma’s kitchen and the TLC of Mom’s late night chest rub with Vicks Vaporub.

Being a restless foodie, I got bored after a day of nothing but Arroz Caldo and decided to try chicken soups from many parts of the world.  It was a weeklong adventure I will most definitely repeat even after I get well.

PICKING THE RIGHT CHICKEN – When I was a kid, soups and stews were made only from  old hens or  losing roosters carried home dead from a cockfight. These days, we city folk have no choice but supermarket fowl.

For soups and stews, buy the bony parts with lots of gelatinous sinew and a little fat; go for soup packs composed of neck, wing tips and vertebrae, and throw in some chicken feet for extra thickness.

ARROZ CALDO – The ultimate Filipino comfort food starts with garlic, onions and ginger stir-fried in chicken fat rendered from around the skin. Chicken pieces are added and stirred with a little salt until the meat color changes. Next comes raw  rice, which is stirred in until opaque, followed by a generous pinch of kasubha (local saffron).

When the rice turns a bit orange from the saffron, chicken broth (or water with chicken boullion cubes) is added and the whole thing is stirred to separate the grains. Once boiling, the pot is kept simmering on very low heat. Keep stirring to prevent scorching. It is important to use a thick, heavy pot.

The rice and chicken should be tender and thick about the same time. Serve topped with chopped green onions, fried garlic, calamansi and patis or soy sauce.

For extra protein, add either a raw egg that gets poached by the hot soup, or slices of hard boiled egg.

OSAKA CHICKEN ODEN – At the height of winter, residents of Ozaka keep a pot of soup-like stew called Oden warm over a traditional stove or in the refrigerator, chilled and ready to microwave.

Oden is basically a slow-cooked stew of vegetables, meats, tofu and seafood cooked in a dashi-based broth. Dashi is made by boiling a seaweed called konbu and shaved dried tuna flakes. The pot is kept going throughout winter, with ingredients added daily or nightly as the need arises.

At the end of winter, or as spring approaches, the soup base becomes so rich it is often poured over steamed rice and eaten as is.

My favorite part of Oden is the peeled hard boiled egg that is sometimes simmered in the broth for several days. This long cooking transforms the texture of both the egg white and the yolk while at the same time imparting the rich flavor of the stew.

FRENCH ONION-CHICKEN SOUP— This heavy meal-in-a-bowl is a takeoff from the classic French Onion Soup, complete with a slice of toasted bread topped with a crust of melted cheese.

Start by slowly browning plenty of sliced onions in butter thinned with oil to prevent burning. Add a few pieces of raw chicken to cook with the onions. When the onion and chicken skin are lightly browned, add chicken broth or water with boullion cubes or chicken powder and simmer until the chicken is tender.

Season with salt and pepper before ladling into oven-proof soup bowls. Top with a slice of bread (preferably baguette) and sprinkle with a thick layer of grated cheese. Bake in the oven for several minutes until the cheese melts. Serve with more toasted bread.

CHICKEN GUMBO – This specialty of the American South warms the heart and fills the belly with fiber-rich vegetables and herbs. It also wakes up sleepy taste buds and rouses the appetite.

Begin with flour lightly browned in melted chicken fat (or vegetable oil) to make a roux. Stir in chicken slices, chopped onions, diced green pepper and celery and cook over low heat until the vegetables wilt and the chicken becomes opaque. Cover with enough chicken stock or water with boullion cubes. Season with a couple of bay leaves, salt and pepper, and simmer until the chicken is almost tender.

At this point, one adds as much sliced long hot peppers as one can stand. Also welcome are whole kernels of fresh sweet corn, diced potatoes and carrots. Simmer for 10 minutes, then pour in several cups of okra sliced ¼ inch thick crosswise. Cover and cook until okra is tender.

Serve by ladling in cups containing a mound of rice per person. Offer bottles of Tabasco for those who desire more heat.

SOUP AND DUMPLINGS – The ultimate comfort food for many Americans, its secret is in the lightness of the dumplings that float in the steaming bowl of chicken and vegetables.

Make the basic soup with one whole boiled chicken, deboned and cut into cubes. Into the chicken stock, add onions, carrots, potatoes and celery. When vegetables are tender, thicken with a can of condensed cream of mushroom (or any variant) soup and return cubed chicken into the pot.

Top with dumplings made as follows:

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Pour in 1 beaten egg and 2 tbsps melted butter and 1 cup milk to make a moist batter. Drop by teaspoonfuls into the simmering soup.

Keeping the heat low, cover the pot and simmer for 18 minutes, until all the dumplings rise to the top and are fully cooked inside.  Serve with a light sprinkle of chopped parsley.

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