This brief is designed to get you thinking about how to combine different flavours and textures to come up with your own Filipino-inspired creation. Some ways you can make this dish your own:

• In Filipino culture the meal preparation is finished at the table and is left to the individual to customise their own plate. Condiments and toppings take centre stage here so you can really get creative with what you decide to serve with your Arroz Caldo - garlic, calamansi, patis, salted or boiled duck egg (or an egg of your choice), chicharon (deep fried pork skin), tinapa (deep fried fish flakes), or try different types of smoked fish flaked on top or for an earthier flavour try some fried mushrooms.
• What’s local to you? When coming up with your dish have a think about what grows locally in your region as well as what is in season. The same goes for the accompanying sauces, for example, in Filipino cuisine, vinegar based sauces or very popular so you might find a local producer to you making different vinegars - rice wine vinegar has a similar sweetness to Filipino cane vinegar but you could also try a white wine vinegar or malt vinegar as the base of your sauce. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can have a go at making your own vinegar at home by sourcing vinegar mother and combining 1 part of the vinegar mother with 2 parts a wine of your choice and 1 part distilled water and leaving to ferment for a few weeks until you’re happy with the taste.
• Let’s talk rice! Arroz Caldo tends to use glutinous rice which has a very high starch content creating that distinctive sticky texture. The Philippines has a strong relationship with rice, in particular in northern Luzon with its rice terraces - these different rice grains are harvested on ancestral lands with techniques that have survived through the generations and are to this day still use by the indigenous farming communities. This dish is the perfect way to showcase this ancient grain, so have some fun experimenting with different varieties thinking about the end texture of the dish and in some cases, even the colour! Also, if you’re living in a part of the world with a strong rice farming culture, look to support your country’s rice farmers as well as heritage grain varieties which unfortunately, often end up in danger of extinction.