Comfort Food

Lugaw / Arroz Caldo (photo from Nestle)

Today, I confirmed that my comfort food is Lugaw (porridge). When I was still working in the network, the pressure of coming up with a good story or the consistency of the continuity of each scene pushes me to look for good food that will make me feel better then I always end up eating congee. 

Champorado (photo from energychef.com)

Whenever someone asks me about my favourite food, I always say “Champorado” (sweet chocolate porridge) because I grow up with it! My mom used to cook it if I got good grades or she feels that I need pampering so I think growing up, I treat champorado as a prize. Most of my foreign friends think that it’s weird eating dried fish with champorado (which Filipinos normally do) but the sweet and salty taste make it so much interesting and worth craving for.

Zousui (photo from foodosohpy.wordpress.com)

Last night, Taku cooked Zousui, a Japanese rice soup made from pre-cooked rice, water and some vegetables and spices, and I found myself thinking about it while I was working this morning! I know I’ll not be able to have it for lunch because Taku’s working and there’s no Japanese restaurant near my office. I feel so upset but when I walked around the street while I was looking for place to dine in, I saw Ba Noi’s Vietnamese Restaurant and I immediately ordered rau muong xao (stir-fried water spinach in garlic and Vietnamese seasoning) and Pho Ga (steaming hot chicken noodle soup with soy bean paste and chilli sauce). Ba Noi’s Vietnamese Restaurant’s ambience is really cosy (the menu is like a cookbook with ways on how you’ll enjoy eating Vietnamese food) and the food is authentic. I think it’s the best Vietnamese restaurant in Metro Manila next to Bawai’s Vietnamese Kitchen in Tagaytay.

Pho Ga (Chicken Noodle Soup)

Just for your information, according to Mr. Yong Tatlonghari, opwner of Bawai’s Vietnamese kitchen, in Vietnamese, “Ba Noi” refers to to the grandmother on the father side while "Bawai" refers to the grandmother on the mother's side.

My comfort food, regardless of “what” dish, is something with rice and watery or noodle but should be hot. It's a proof that i grew up in Asia and i love rice. Haha.

To support this conclusion, I thought of the times that Taku asked me about what I am craving for lunch or dinner and I remember thinking about Risotto a lot. Risotto is a class of Italian dishes of rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency (according to Wikipedia).

Risotto (photo by supermamafitness.com)

I’m feeling better now but I still expect to eat Zousui cooked by Taku in the days to come… :)