Lugaw ni Señora

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde culinary program chairperson pays tribute to her lolas with this rice porridge recipe

By Chef Margarita Marty

I was raised in a home strongly influenced by my grandmothers Gloria Mapua Lim and Nena Grey Marty, both excellent cooks. As early as the age of nine, I assisted Lola Gloria in the kitchen and learned how to cook congee. Lola Nena’s culinary influence came in my 20s while I was starting out in my career, for she used chorizo in so many dishes.

I tapped my kitchen memories with my grandmothers and exposure to Spanish ingredients—slow cooked rice came from congee, while chorizo, jamon, and boiled quail egg were the natural topping for this hearty lugaw.

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken stock

1 tsp olive oil

¼ cup onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

250 grams Japanese rice

1 pinch of saffron thread

Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings

2 pcs Molinera Spanish chorizo

6 pcs Santis Snack chorizo

12 quail eggs (hard boiled)

4 jamon, thinly sliced

1 tbsp Daddy Mikk’s Crunchy Garlic

2 pcs green onion, chopped

1 whole lime

Lugaw

1. Crush a pinch of salt and saffron in a mortar and pestle to make fine powder.  Add one tablespoon of warm water and allow to soak for a few minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in a cast iron pot over medium heat.
3. Add garlic and onions. Cook until onions are translucent.
4. Add Japanese rice and allow rice to toast.
5. Add the saffron mixture and mix well.
6. Add one cup of water, stirring it constantly, allowing the rice to fully absorb the water.
7. Add the rest of the stock. Bring to a boil and reduce heat allow it to simmer on low heat.
8. Season with salt and pepper as needed

Note: you may need to add stock if the lugaw gets to thick.

Toppings

1. In in a small pan, sauté two pieces Molinera Spanish chorizo to make a crumble.
2. Slice six pieces Santis Snack Chorizo. Pan fry in a little olive oil.
3. Cut the ham in to two-inch squares. Lay flat on a baking sheet and bake in the toaster oven for five-seven minutes.
4. Slice the quail eggs in half.

When everything is ready, get your most Señora-like bowls and ladle the lugaw into the bowls. Top with the two kinds of chorizo, crunchy jamon, quail eggs, Daddy Mikk’s Crunchy Garlic, chopped green onion, and drizzle with a bit of chorizo oil. Serve with a slice of lime. 

This recipe is good for four servings.