The good old "lugaw"

CEBU, Philippines - The celebration of the Chinese New Year yesterday brought to mind the many things Chinese that have since become very much part of the Filipino way of life. Many Filipinos, of many different religious affiliations, participated in yesterday's Chinese celebration. And it seems the whole Filipino nation embrace Chinese prosperity beliefs.

Many of the current Filipino food favorites are Chinese in origin. The pancit, in all its different varieties, is definitely Chinese. So are the siopao, siomai, tokwa, and many others.

There's one Filipino food that's also believed to be brought to the country by the Chinese, although some historians believe that it could actually be a Filipino original. It's the "lugaw," a kind of plain congee that only requires rice, water, and salt. The simplicity of the ingredients makes it a possibility that the Filipinos of old would have also invented the "lugaw" on their own.

Given the fact that the Philippines and China have both been agricultural, rice-producing countries, yes, it is possible the Filipinos and the Chinese could have thought of making "lugaw" out of rice independently of each other. What may be the Chinese influence on the Filipino "lugaw" are the certain enhancements to the basic dish.

There have also been other foreign influences to the "lugaw." In particular, the "champorado" - which is "lugaw" mixed with chocolate - is said to be brought in by the Spaniards. There are now so many "lugaw" varieties in the country, and it is hard to trace down their origins since they have now become quite very Filipino.

The basic "lugaw" recipe is simple. To one part rice grains, four parts of water are added. This is boiled until the rice is overcooked to make the soup almost jelly-like in consistency. Towards the end, salt is added according to one's taste.

In the rural fishing communities, shredded fried or grilled fish is added as topping to the "lugaw." In most cases, though, it's "ginamos," salted fish fingerlings, that's used. The old Filipino-Chinese would have taosi, salted black peas. In cities, shredded dried meat, simulating cotton flakes, is a favorite topping.  There's also everybody's favorite "pospas," which is "lugaw" with chicken.   

In other places, "lugaw" is a favorite snack. But instead of salt, brown sugar is used for flavoring. Others prefer condensed milk for the taste.

The website www.panlasangpinoy.com shares an interesting "lugaw" recipe. This version is somewhat upgraded because of an ingredient added that improves the flavor of the dish - Rousong. It is popular in urban centers where Rousong, also called pork or meat floss, is available at supermarkets.

Rousong is mostly made from pork. Its texture is almost as soft as cotton, while its flavor is intense. It hypes up the plain old "lugaw" to make it more enjoyable to eat.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long grain white rice

• 4 to 5 cups water

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1/4 cup rousong (pork floss)

Cooking Procedure:

• Pour water in a cooking pot. Bring to a boil.

• Put-in the rice. Continue cooking for 30 minutes or until the texture becomes thick, while stirring once in a while.

• Add the salt, stir and then cook for 2 minutes more.

• Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with a tablespoon of rousing.

• Serve hot.

This recipe serves four.

The greatest appeal of the "lugaw" is perhaps the fact that it can go down easily. The new enhancements are purposely just to add enjoyment to the intake. But of and by itself, the plain "lugaw" would do. Especially if served hot and fresh.