Going through my bookmarks list of recipes, I found arroz caldo, which literally means “rice soup,” also considered a type of lugaw, or a Filipino-style congee that is rich with bone broth, aromatic with ginger, garlic, and onion, and oftentimes accompanied by toppings such as fried shallots and garlic, soy-cured egg yolks, scallion, and cilantro. The main difference, initially, between Filipino and Chinese style congee, is that the Filipino version has a lot more aromatics that are added in the beginning, whereas the canvas of the rice porridge is much plainer in the Chinese version. Either way, I love it all since I love, love congee/jook/rice porridge. It’s an ultimate comfort food regardless of what spin you take on it.

I made it in my Instant Pot yesterday and we had it for breakfast this morning, and I really loved the richness that the soy-cured egg yolk added to the porridge. It was even creamier and richer than it was before. The egg yolk served the same role that the whole raw cracked egg serves in soondubu jigae, or Korean soft tofu stew. Definitely want to perfect my soy-cured egg yolk method and continue using this method to make future versions of congee even richer and more tasty.