I woke up to a very rainy day. The first thought that came to mind was a bowl of piping-hot rice porridge.

While on my way to drop my son Diego off to school, I threw a question to my group of students and friends. I asked how they best enjoy their lugaw.

The exchanges were so interesting that I decided to compile and share them with you. Make these recipes a part of your rainy-day fare!

Judy Uy’s Perfect Congee Base

Serves 6. Combine 1 cup of long grain rice with 10 cups of water in a Perfect Cooker. Turn the cooker’s setting to Porridge. Once the timer is done, you have perfect lugaw. Add desired toppings.
For Perfect “MultiPurpose” Cooker, call 0917-8424140, 0918-9595959.

Ana Ong’s Congee Base

Serves 20-25. Combine 4 cups glutinous rice (round-short grain) with 2 cups Milagrosa rice. Wash well. In a pot, soak rice in 5 liters of water overnight. Cook the soaked rice over low heat. Stir while cooking. Add toppings of choice.

Ana’s husband Kelly suggested that the best way to enjoy congee, no matter the recipe, is to put all kinds of sauces—patis, black vinegar, calamansi, soy sauce, on the edges of your congee bowl, without mixing them. Partake of it portion by portion. This way, he said, you will experience 4 different “kicks” in just one bowl.

Imelda Tan’s Fish Fillet Congee
Congee ratio is 1 cup short grain rice (Japanese or Calrose) with 10 cups water. For a big bowl of congee (approximately 2 cups), you will need ½ cup of thinly sliced white fish fillet and 2 thin slices of ginger, shredded. Arrange raw fish and ginger in a bowl, pour piping-hot congee over it. Finish with fried shallots, fried garlic and bicho bicho.

Jenny Dy’s Leftover Rice Lugaw

Using leftover rice lessens cooking time.

½ kg free-range chicken
1 c leftover rice
1 tsp garlic
2 quartered onions
1 tbsp pounded ginger
1 liter water

Pan-fry chopped chicken, then remove from pan. Flake.
Saute onions, pounded ginger, garlic. Add chicken and leftover rice. Add water and let it simmer until desired consistency is achieved. Add water as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with green onions, toasted garlic, toasted onions and pickled cucumber, salted egg or century egg. Serve with calamansi.

Jenny Co shared that she had tried a delectable lugaw made with native chicken broth topped with dried mushroom, dried shrimp, dried scallops and fresh mustard greens.

A simpler way she enjoys lugaw is with bola-bola, century egg and lots of crispy wonton wrapper.

Stevie Villacin’s Lugaw

The secret of his lugaw is the stock. He tops his porridge with shredded roast chicken, pork floss, salted and century eggs, Chinese chorizo, dilis, lightly toasted garlic. Seasoned with calamansi, patis, light soy, sprinkled with green onions and fried shallots.

Stevie’s stock:
7 kg of chicken, soup pack or combination of meat and bones
1 k of vegetables (a combination of carrots, onions, leeks)
¼ k ginger
10 l water

Sear or roast chicken meat and vegetables until brown. Add water.
Simmer for 1 to 2 hours.
Skim the scum but leave the fat.
Use stock for lugaw

Jecelle Tycangco’s Congee

Congee ratio is 1 cup sinandomeng with 10 cups water. Rinse 7-10 pieces of dried scallops (adjust quantity to taste) in rice wine and shred. Add the scallops to the rice and water. Cook. Once the congee is done, transfer to serving bowls and add to each bowl some flaked chicken, sliced mushrooms, few strips of cooked goto and 1 raw egg.

Note: You may use dried fish, approximately 2 tbsp instead of dried scallops.

Sofia Co’s Meatballs

½ kg ground pork
¼ kg shrimp
¼ c water chestnuts
2 tbsp green onions
1 tbsp sesame oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 tbsp flour

Combine ingredients in a bowl and knead until tacky. Shape into balls the size of P1 coins.
Drop meatballs to boiling lugaw base.
Finish with green onions, mahu (pork floss), fried dilis, japanese radish (yellow), chili paste, chopped Chinese pickled cucumber, fried shallots and garlic.

Fujian Congee (‘Kiam Bay’)
by Connie Lu of the Chinese
Culinary Arts Center

1 pc taro root
1 c dinorado (freshly harvested)
4 pc dried mushrooms
¼ c small dried scallop
1/3 c dried oyster
100 g lean pork
1 pc pressed bean curd
Spring onions, minced
Fried peanuts

Seasonings:
1 tbsp rock salt
1 tsp MSG
8 c water

2 tbsp shallot oil, drizzle before serving.
Shallot oil:
Slice 3 shallots and fry in 4 tbsp oil until golden in color. Strain. Use 2 tbsp oil for congee.
Peel and dice taro. Fry in boiling oil until golden in color.
Slice the lean pork, coat with some cornstarch; set aside.
Dice the soaked dried mushroom, put in a bowl, together with the taro and pork.
Dice the pressed bean curd, fry until golden. Set aside.
Fry the dried scallops and dried oysters until fragrant.
Wash the rice well. Transfer rice to a pot and add water and seasonings. Add the dried scallops and oysters. Bring congee to a boil, lower heat to medium and continue to cook until congee is done.
Add taro, pork and mushroom. Add bean curd.
Drizzle with shallot oil. Serve with minced spring onion and peanuts (optional).

You can learn this Fujian Congee Recipe on July 14 at the Chinese Culinary Arts Center. Call 5252720.