Filipino-style rice soup with crispy garlic

As promised

Here it is - the recipe so many of you wanted! A warming, nourishing soup inspired by the bowls of my childhood. Typically this soup uses leftover shredded chicken but I also love it with shiitake mushrooms for a veggie version so I’ve given both options below. Don’t skimp on the toppings, they really make it.

Filipino-style rice soup with crispy ginger

Feeds 4; takes 15 minutes to prep, 35 minutes to cook

For the soup

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 fat thumb of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

• 2 medium carrots, finely sliced

• 1.5-1.8 litres chicken or vegetable stock, as needed

• 180g white basmati rice, rinsed well

• 2 large heads of pak choy or baby spinach

• 2 tsp fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce)

For the toppings

• 3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

• Juice of 1 lemon or 1 ½ limes

• 1 fresh chilli, any colour, sliced

• 4 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

• 8 garlic cloves, finely sliced

• 2 handfuls of shredded leftover cooked chicken or 4 handfuls of sliced shiitake mushrooms

• A few sliced spring onions

• Handful fresh coriander, roughly torn

1. To make the soup, fry the chopped onion in the ghee or oil in a medium saucepan for five minutes to soften, stirring every now and then. Stir in the garlic, ginger and carrots with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and fry for another five minutes.

2. Add 1.5 litres of stock and the rice, pop the lid on and bring to the boil, then immediately reduce to a medium simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked. Stir through a few times.

3. Finely chop the pak choy stalks and roughly slice the leaves. Place on top of the soup, drizzle over the fish sauce, pop the lid back on and cook for another three minutes, or stir in the spinach leaves. Stir through and take off the heat. Feel free to add more stock towards the end of cooking if you like a soupier consistency.

4. Meanwhile, make the toppings. Combine the tamari/soy and lemon/lime juice, lots of black pepper and some sliced chilli (reserve some to serve). Set aside.

5. Heat three tablespoons of the ghee or oil in a medium frying pan and gently fry the garlic until lightly golden; be careful not to burn it. Immediately transfer the garlic and any oil to a small bowl.

6. Put the pan back on a medium-high heat and melt the remaining ghee or coconut oil. Scatter the shredded chicken or sliced shiitake mushrooms in the pan and fry undisturbed for a few minutes to get a little colour. Toss and fry for a few minutes to colour the other side (mushrooms may take a little longer to brown than chicken so just keep an eye and adjust timings as needed). Season with salt, remove from the heat but keep in the pan so the chicken/mushrooms stay warm.

7. Serve the pan of soup in the middle of the table. Offer the fried garlic, fried chicken, tamari-citrus sauce, sliced spring onion, coriander and remaining sliced chilli in bowls for people to help themselves.