The chicken arroz caldo recipe in the archive was posted in May, 2003 when this blog was but a month old. I was using a pitiful 1.3 megapixel camera and I didn’t think it was important to photograph the premature chicken eggs that went into the arroz caldo. Well, that was almost five years ago and I have learned a lot of things since then. I have also graduated to a 10.1 megapixel camera.
Premature chicken eggs? Yes, eggs that have yet to form shells which are still inside the hen. They are sold together with gizzards, livers and egg sacs. If you look closely at the first photo (above), the egg sacs are on the foreground, the premature eggs are at the center, the gizzards and livers are in the background. That’s a 12-inch dinner plate holding a kilo of eggs, sacs, gizzards and livers.
If the arroz caldo in the second photo above looks pale in comparison with the arroz caldo in the archive, it’s because I ran out of kasubha without realizing it. That’s how long it’s been since the last time I cooked arroz caldo.
Click here for the arroz caldo recipe. If you intend to add premature chicken eggs, one advice: Try not to overcook them. They really are much better while still in that stage that is between soft-boiled and hard-boiled.
For best results, use glutinous rice (malagkit). It’s much better than long-grain rice for making arroz caldo.
The premature eggs are really tasty. These come from culled chickens for egg production.
where do u buy these, ms connie? last time i tasted them, it was from the chicken my lola made us catch from the backyard!
)
Hi Ms. Connie, Your camera takes very good pictures! These premature eggs look very fragile, don’t they get ruptured easily when transporting from the store to home? Just wondering.
my mom usually buys that for soup. nice. WEIRD
weird but nice
rose z, Antipolo market.
mely, trick is not to place them in a bag with other items so they don’t get squished.
wow! didn’t even know that’s how eggs are formed…
parang ang weird!! but so interesting… sayang can’t get that kind of stuff here.
i’ll try it na lang when i got home again….
so intriguing!
I remember my aunt roasting hens she raised when we were little. When she would slice the cooked hens, I would be in awe to see eggs in the cavity along with other ingredients. They taste awsome.
Just wondering, where do you buy the premature chicken eggs? or hens with premature chicken eggs in the market?
i know this! my mom used to cook this as chicken tinola with semi ripe papaya and chili leaves. ooohhh it brings back memories.
malou, eggs, gizzards, livers and sacs by the kilo at Antipolo market. can’t buy a live hen, I wouldn’t know what to do with it LOL.
adiksakape, wow, so it’s good as tinola too? I WILL TRY THAT. Thanks.
no kasubha, try saffron. look and taste better…i missed all those eggs in adobo in my lola’s backyard chicken tagalog
wow! i thought i knew almost everything there was to know about food, but this is absolutely new to me! i wish i knew where to buy premature eggs in NJ.
now you’ve made me wonder, what do chicken farms in the US do when they butcher a chicken w/ premature eggs? i bet they discard it. haaay, sayang!!!
The first time I tasted this dish was in Talavera, Nueva Ecija a couple of years ago and if I remember correctly they called it “GUYA”. I have since been trying to look for these premature chicken eggs everytime I would go to market and was able to chance upon them at the TIANGGE at the LUNG CENTER which is held every Sunday. Well, That was more than a year and I do not know if there is still a tiangge there every Sunday. I think going to the Antipolo market would be worth the trip though if you fail to see it at the LUNG CENTER!
betchabygollywow!!!!
miss ko na yan! sa Marikina market dami din tinda nyan. Kaso dito sa Cebu wala akong makita sa mga local market. Sarap ng arroz caldo mo!
Connie, I’ve seen on your archives about Lugaw and Arroz Caldo that you refer to them as congee or porridge. it’s not a porridge, not even near, and not at all.
Malagkit is also not the best for Congees, Chinese people uses long-grain rice and brought to a boil slowly is better while soaked in water overnight before boiling is best.
Lani, just like they get rid of fish heads. Sayang talaga!
Renato, right, “guya” is the term.
mumai, “it’s not a porridge”. What is it then? According to Wikipedia, congee is a variety of porridge; arroz caldo or lugaw are even specifically listed as rice porridge (link to Wikipedia article). Perhaps, you’re associating porridge with oatmeal which is something smoother. But there is thin porridge and thick porridge.
Re “Malagkit is also not the best for Congees”
That’s a matter of preference. I’ve tried both. I like it better with malagkit. Those who prefer a less starchy and less sticky arroz caldo can always stick with long-grain rice.
actually you have to read the dictionary or simply cooking magazines. not wikipedia.
congee is so not porridge. ask the americans, and the chinese, ming tsai, wolfgang puck, flight attendants, culinary magazines etc.
Mumai, LOL. Give it up.
Connie, mabuti natawa ka kay Mumai, ako hindi, nano ako… ummm…
anywayz, mron dito chicken & duck farm (run by Vietnamese) and they sell those eggs, I don’t know what to do with it, aam ko sinasama yan ng sister ko sa adobo, pero she hard boiled it, naku, I will try your recipe, tapos magpapakitang gilas ako, hehehhe, I’ll labeled it ‘Pinoy Porridge with Baby Chicken Eggs”, heheheh. Toppedit with chives and kasubha (or Mexican saffron), and kalamansi with patis… ummmm….
*lol* amen on the fish heads! i finally found a suki who reserves salmon heads and tails for me. i love it in sinigang! i don’t know what it is about fish heads that freak them out. i’d be more afraid of the chemicals they put in hot dogs.
funny story… one time after thanksgiving dinner w/ my american in-laws, i discovered they had thrown away the turkey carcass (wings, thighs, and everything!) after carving out the breast and legs. and i was sooo looking forward to nibbling on the wings as a midnight snack! ever since i made a big stink about it, they’ve learned never to throw away leftovers when i’m around, even when it’s down to the bare bones =)
Hi mumai, for your sake, here is the definition of congee and porridge from webster.com
Main Entry: por·ridge
Function: noun
Etymology: alteration of pottage
Date: circa 1643
: a soft food made by boiling meal of grains or legumes in milk or water until thick
Main Entry: con·gee
Function: noun
Etymology: Tamil kañci water from cooked rice
Date: 1930
: porridge made from rice
You go, Ebba! hehehe Re mumai, hay, naku I won’t ruin my day.
Lani, they are a wasteful people, aren’t they? I hope you’ve seen what I did with the duck carcass from New Year’s Eve?
Melisa, thanks for that.
Ayy, niluto ko na po Ms. Connie. Sarap ng arroz caldo ko. Ang tagal ng pagpalambot ko kasi mother hen yung naibigay sa akin nung chicken farm na binilhan ko. And guess what… since I told them to just clean and don’t cut, they gave it to me just dressed clean; the head is still intact and so with the feet. And to my surprise, when I was cleaning the cavities to take out the innards.. ayy, hindi lang young chicken eggs ang nasa loob, there is this one full egg, still in its sac, and the shell is soft… basically the white has not been formed yet. I tried to cook it with the arroz caldo, pero nabasag and inside is just a yolk. Hahaha, basta masarap lumabas yung “porridge” ko, with calamansi and patis.