The rainy season is here again which means that hot, steaming bowls of soup are back as staples on the dinner table.
For many Filipinos, lugaw or rice porridge is the go-to comfort food not only when one is sick but also on chilly, rainy days.
But terms used to reference rice porridge can be a bit confusing. Aside from lugaw, you have the goto, and the arroz caldo--all made with rice but with varying ingredients.
Here's the difference between lugaw, goto, and arroz caldo:
Lugaw
The most basic form of rice porridge, lugaw is plain rice cooked in water until you get a thick soup. Usually flavored with patis or fish sauce, lugaw has no meat in it and can be referred to as the base for goto and arroz caldo.
While others serve plain lugaw especially to the sick, others prefer theirs with toppings such as hardboiled egg, toasted garlic, and spring onions.
Goto
"Goto" literally translates to "tripe." It is lugaw with innards, and tripe, flavored with ginger, patis, and served with calamansi. It is a common breakfast food or hangover cure after a night of drinking.
Like lugaw, many people prefer to eat goto with toppings too such as toasted garlic, hardboiled egg, spring onions, and chicharon bits. Some even pair their goto with tokwa't baboy drenched in soy sauce mixed with vinegar, onion bits, and chilies.
Arroz Caldo
When one thinks of arroz caldo, chicken immediately comes to mind.
While arroz caldo is a Spanish term that literally translates to "rice broth," the dish is infused with other ingredients such as chicken, hardboiled egg, and toppings--toasted garlic bits, and spring onions. Many versions of arroz caldo add safflower (kasubha) which gives the dish its distinct yellow color.
So the next time you're craving lugaw, think twice whether it's goto, arroz caldo, or plain lugaw that you want to eat.
MORE ON FOOD EXPLAINED:
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