Lugaw

Lugaw is a popular Filipino delicacy, it is traditionally thought as a soft food that is served to sick people, it doesn’t require much chewing unless it has toppings. Lugaw is best to eat when the rainy season comes, because of the cold weather Filipinos are cooking lugaw to feel warm in their bodies.

For now, the most famous lugawan in Malolos Bulacan is “Lugaw ni Abel”.

Origin

Abel’s porridge started year 1989. The name of the lugawan was named after Madam Isabel or “Abel”, currently the daughter of Madam Isabel is now taking care of the lugawan. They started at small carenderia where they only serve a plain lugaw, it’s a humble beginning for them starting with a nipa hut back in the 1980's.^[1]

As time went by, they thought of mixing cow’s brain and eyes into their porridge to give other flavours and make it even more delicious. Apart of the cow’s brain and eyes, they have another ingredients such as tongue, meat, fish, fried lumpia, and tofu and pork. These ingredients made their porridge even more tastier and delicious, because of their unique recipe of lugaw. ^[2]

This simple and humble restaurant "Lugaw ni Abel" in Malolos, Bulacan has now become famous and has been visited by a lot of people in Malolos, and some YouTube vloggers are visiting the reataurant to taste the famous lugaw in Malolos.

The rice porridge was brought to the Philippines by the Chinese migrants before Spanish colonists arrived in 1521. In Chinese they called it “rice congee”. On the other hand, the earliest mentioned lugaw as rice mixed with water or milk is recorded in “Vocabulario de La Lengua Tagala” by a Spanish priest which is Pedro de San Buenaventura.

Ingredients

Water
Glutinous Rice
Garlic
Ginger
Pepper
Oil
Onion Rings
Fish Sauce
Cow's brain and eyes
Cow's tongue
Meat
Tofu or egg

Procedure

Clean the glutinous rice, rinse it with a clean water. After that pour it on a large bowl.
Heat the pot and pour the cooking oil, set the stove in the medium heat.
Add the miced garlic and the ginger that sliced, stir in until the garlic and ginger are toasted.
When the garlic and ginger is golden brown, pour the glutinous rice in the pot.
Pour the water and then wait until it boils.
Scrape the bottoms and sides of the pot, as you stir it contents.
Stir well to combine.
Put some pepper and fish sauce to add more flavor.
Simmer for 60 minutes to boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 to 60 minutes until the grains of the rice become notably puffy.
Once the lugaw is ready, remove it to the heat and immediately ladled into serving dishes.
Put some toppings, like tofu, egg, meat, cow's brain and eyes, and especially the cow's tongue. Enjoy this dish while it's steaming and hot!!!