It’s rainy season again and people will certainly crave for foods that will make them warm. Comfort foods are the answer to these cravings. It can make our body cope with the cold environment especially to those who are easily sickened when rainy days are coming. Aside from sweaters and jackets, here are the ten comfort foods that can ease the coldness that you feel:

1. Champorado  

A very popular rice porridge that originated in the Philippines. It is a favorite breakfast among children and also perfect for rainy seasons.  Champorado is a concoction which uses sweet glutinous rice (or plain rice added with sugar) and cocoa powder as its primary ingredients. Tableya (pure cocoa blocks) can also be used instead of powder. The dish is not complete without tuyo (salted dried fish). 

2. Suman and Hot chocolate 

A perfect pair when the rainy season comes. Suman is a rice cake that is made from glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk and steamed in banana leaf wrappers.  It is a favorite delicacy among Filipinos, it is known as budbud in Visayas. It is best served with hot chocolate made from cocoa powder or tableya.

3. Arroz Caldo 

A popular Filipino congee which literally means “rice soup”. It is best eaten with tokwat baboy (bean curd and pork). Arroz Caldo has been a favorite snack of most Filipinos. The most common ingredients used in arroz caldo are chicken and rice, topped with fried garlic, hard-boiled egg and chives. Like champorado, it is usually served during breakfast.

4. Ginataang Halo-halo  

A Filipino dessert dish that is primarily composed of different tubers such as taro root, sweet potato and purple yam. Other ingredients include tapioca pearls, bilo-bilo (glutinous rice balls) and plantains. It is a favorite Filipino merienda (snack) because of its luscious taste that is perfect for the rainy season when served hot.

5. Pancit Lomi  

A Filipino-Chinese dish that is made with thick fresh egg noodles soaked in lye water to add texture. Even though it originated in China, it is popular in the Philippines where it has different styles of cooking. Lomi is perfect when added with pork and liver that are thinly sliced, sautéed with garlic and onions. It is best eaten while steaming hot.

6. Tinolang Manok 

 A chicken soup that is complimented with ginger stew. It can be served as an appetizer or main entrée. The dish’s main ingredients are chicken and ginger stew that is cooked with onions, papaya or chayote. It is best to add Moringa leaves (malunggay) that adds nutrition and flavor to the dish.

7. Sotanghon Soup 

An easy to cook noodle soup that uses a soft and silky noodle called Sotanghon (Cellophane noodles), Chinese Vermicelli, and Glass noodles. It is a transparent-type of noodles that are made from mung beans. Sotanghon is best when used in dishes such as soups.  The dish is best enjoyed in rainy season.

8. Batchoy 

Another noodle soup that is made with pork organs, crushed pork cracklings (chicharon), beef loin and round noodles. It is a very popular noodle soup in the Philippines where one can savor it and enjoy the meat broth and noodles that are usually topped with spices and raw egg. It originated in La Paz, Iloilo and often referred as La Paz batchoy.

9. Dinuguan 

A famous Filipino cuisine not just because of its delicious flavor but also of its look. Made from pig intestines and pork blood stew added with offal and spices. It is a unique due to the use of long green pepper and vinegar. It is a favorite merienda among Filipinos and best paired with rice cakes or puto that compliments its mildly sour taste.

10. Bulalo 

Another popular Filipino dish that is commonly eaten during rainy season. Its English term is “beef shank soup”. It is primarily comprised of beef shanks with bone marrow, added with onions, pechay and corn. Bulalo is one of the most favorite main dishes of Filipinos and it is part of the menu of every restaurant and eatery.  It is perfect for cold weathers.