Goto — Philippines

Goto, also known as arroz caldo con goto, is a Filipino rice porridge, a type of lugaw, cooked with beef tripe and ginger until the rice breaks down into a thick, warming gruel. It is finished with toasted garlic, chopped scallions, black pepper and crushed chicharon (pork cracklings) scattered on top. It is reported throughout the Philippines, sold from carts and small eateries especially in the morning or late at night, valued as a filling, inexpensive dish that can be eaten on its own. To prepare it, the beef tripe is cleaned and simmered until tender, then kept in the cooking liquid while rice and sliced ginger are added and simmered further, stirring occasionally, until the rice softens and thickens the broth into a porridge. It is ladled into bowls and topped with the toasted garlic, scallions, pepper and chicharon just before serving. Diners typically finish their own bowl with calamansi, soy sauce or fish sauce (patis) squeezed or splashed in to taste, along with a hard-boiled egg, so the balance of tang, salt and heat varies from one bowl to the next even though the base porridge stays the same.