Batchoy

Batchoy or Bachoy, a popular noodle soup originated in La Paz, Iloilo city, is one of my favorite soup especially when it's rainy season. Batchoy is cooked with pork organs, crushed pork cracklings, shrimp, vegetables, chicken stock, chicken breast, beef loin and round noodles.

Yummy Batchoy
Preparations:
- 1/2 cup sliced pig's lapay
- 1/2 cup sliced pig's kidney
- 1/2 cup sliced tenderloin
- 1/2 cup sliced pig's liver
Fry meat until brown. Set aside.
Saute the following:
- 2 segments chopped garlic
- 1 chopped onion and
- 1 small piece ginger, cut in fine strips
Add the fried mixture then add
- 1 tbsp patis (fish sauce)

Mix thoroughly and cover. After 10 minutes, add enough stock or water to cover (about 4 cups) and boil until meat becomes tender.

This broth is then added to a bowl of noodles and topped with leeks, pork cracklings (chicharon) and sliced hard-boiled egg or raw egg cracked on top.

Chicken Arroz Caldo

Arroz caldo is a spanish name for Chinese congee and lugaw (rice porridge) in Filipino. It is usually cooked with strips of fresh ginger. Other flavors may be added according to taste. Arroz caldo is good for the ill and elderly because it is warm, soft, and easily digestible.

Chicken Arroz Caldo
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice
- 1 small chicken
- 1 inch cube ginger
- 2 segments garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp lard
- 2 tbsp patis (fish sauce)
- 6 cups water
- 2 stalks green onion

Procedure:
- Dress and cut the chicken into convenient pieces, wash and clean well.
- Remove the outer coating and slice the ginger thinly.
- Saute the garlic, ginger and onion.
- Add the chicken and season with 2 tbsp patis. Cover, allow to simmer a few minutes.
- Add the rice and water, stirring all ingredients together to avoid sticking to the sides of the pan. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until chicken and rice are cooked.
- Add the chopped green onions before serving.

Photo: forum.playfish.com

Tomato and Okra Soup

Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp dry rice
- 2 1/ cups water
- 1 tbsp margarine
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 1 tbsp green pepper, chopped
- 2 tbsp onion, minced
- 1 cup tomatoes, stewed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup okra, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp parsley, chopped

Procedure:
- Brown rice in oven until golden brown.
- Add water and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Saute celery, pepper and onion in margarine and add to rice.
- Add tomato and salt; and okra for the last 6 minutes before rice is done.
- Simmer together and serve with chopped parsley.

Yield: 4 servings.

Simple Soup

Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup finely chop vegemeat
- 1/4 cup cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
- 2 eggs beaten slightly
- 1/2 cup cooked peas
- 1/8 tsp sesame oil
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup diluted evaporated milk

Procedure:
- Boil vegetable stock
- Thicken with cornstarch and add the rest of the ingredients.
- When it is boiling, turn off fire. Little by little add slightly beaten egg white.
- Continue stirring. Add milk, Season well.
- Add sesame oil. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings.

Quick Potato Soup

Ingredients:
- 2 cups thinly- sliced raw potatoes
- 1/4 cup finely- chopped onion
- 1 1/4 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups milk (may be partly evaporated milk)
- 1 tbsp margarine
- 3/4 tsp salt

Procedure:
- Add potatoes and onions to the boiling water.
- Cover, and cook for from 14 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
- Mash the potatoes slightly with a fork to thicken the soup a little, if desired.
- Add milk, margarine and seasoning. Heat to serving temperature.
- Top each serving with a dab of sour cream and sprinkle with finely cut parsley.

Yield: 4 servings, 1 cup each.

Onion Soup

Ingredients:
- 1/2 kg onions, sliced very thin
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups water
- 3 1/2 cups rice stock or plain water
- Salt to taste
- Sliced bread
- Butter
- Grated cheese

Procedure:
- Melt 1/4 cup butter in saucepan and fry onion in this until golden brown but not burnt.
- Add the flour and sugar and stir over low flame until brown.
- Add the stock and season with salt.
- Stir over low heat until it boils; then leave to simmer slowly for 10 minutes.
- Butter and toast the sliced bread and put into teh soup tureen.
- When toast rises to the top, sprinkle liberally with grated cheese and run under boiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
- Alternatively, the toasted bread may be floated in individual oven- proof dishes, then sprinkle with grated cheese and run under the broiler.

Yield: 5 servings.

Vegetable Soup with Noodles

Ingredients:
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup potatoes, diced
- 8 cups water
- 2 cups dry noodles
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp salt

Procedure:
- Combine first 6 ingredients and simmer until tender.
- Add noodles and cook until tender.
- Blend margarine, flour and salt with a little of the soup liquid until smooth.
- Add to soup, stirring rapidly and boil for about 3 minutes.

Yield: 12 servings.

Sopa De Ajo

Ingredients:
- 6 bread slices cut in small cubes
- 1 tsp oil
- 3 tsp garlic, minced
- 3 cups vegetable stock or water
- 1 tsp salt
- Dash of pepper
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water
- 3/4 tsp parsley

Procedure:
- Fry bread slices in deep fat until golden brown. Set aside.
- In a little oil, fry garlic, then add vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper.
- Boil and simmer for 3 minutes and add the beaten egg white while stirring.
- Just before serving, drop croutons into the soup and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
- Serve hot.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Garbanzo Soup

Ingredients:
- 2 Cups cooked or canned garbanzo
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp soy sauce

Procedure:
- Saute onion and celery in margarine.
- Blend in flour, add water and cook until thickened.
- Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes, adding water as necessary.

Yield: 8 servings.

Coconut Soup

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups coconut meat, medium soft, chopped
- 4 cups water
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/4 cup undiluted evaporated milk
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 leaves lemon grass (tanglad)
- Salt to taste

Procedure:
- Saute the garlic, onions and coconut milk for about 5 minutes.
- Add the milk. Let it boil.
- Add the lemon grass and season to taste.
- Serve hot.

Cream of Potato Soup II

Ingredients:
-  1 Cup potato, diced
- 2 tsp onion
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Cup water
- 2 cups evaporated milk, diluted
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tsp parsley, chopped

Procedure:
- Cook potatoes and onion in salted water until tender; mash until smooth.
- Do not drain water from potatoes. Combine water and milk.
- Blend flour and margarine and stir into hot liquid; simmer together for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Top each serving with chopped parsley.

Yield: 4 servings.

Cream of Potato Soup I

Ingredients:

- 2 Cups of potatoes, diced and cooked
- 1 tbsp chopped pimiento
- 3 Cups thin white sauce

Procedure:

- Add potatoes and chopped pimiento to thin white sauce.
- Heat through.
- Season to taste

Yield: 6 servings

Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup onions, minced
2 tbsp flour
4 cups vegetable stock or chicken broth
2 cups evaporated milk (diluted)
Salt to taste
Dash of nutmeg
Croutons

Procedure:
- Divide cauliflower into two.
- Chop the first half very finely and break the other half into small flowers.
- Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the onions until transparent but not brown.
- Carefully stir in the flour and cook bubbly.
- Stir constantly.
- Add the vegetable stock and continue stirring.
- Add chopped cauliflower and milk.
- Season with salt, pepper and dash of nutmeg.
- Simmer until it thickens slightly, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
- Add the remaining cauliflower.
- Cook over low heat until cauliflower is tender.
- Heat thoroughly and serve immediately with croutons.

Yield: 6 servings.