There’s a particular kind of comfort that only comes from rice and broth meeting in a bowl – steam rising, aromatics blooming, the whole thing eaten with a spoon rather than a fork.
On TikTok, that feeling has been neatly packaged into the hashtag-friendly idea of “brothy rice”: warm, fragrant stock poured over cooked rice, topped with herbs, proteins and whatever happens to be in the fridge. It looks soothing, tastes even better and, unsurprisingly, has become a cold-weather staple online.
But while social media has given it a new name, the idea itself is anything but new. Variations on brothy rice dishes have long been part of everyday eating across Asia and beyond – from Filipino arroz caldo and lugaw, to Vietnamese cơm chan canh (rice with soup on the side), Thai khao tom, Chinese congee and even Spanish arroz caldoso, where rice is cooked until loose and spoonable in a rich, savoury broth. These are dishes rooted in thrift, nourishment and care; food for when you’re busy, skint, under the weather or simply in need of something grounding.
Seen through that lens, TikTok’s latest obsession feels less like a trend and more like a rediscovery. The appeal is obvious: brothy rice is fast, adaptable and deeply satisfying, with the added bonus of being gentle on both body and wallet.
To that end, these recipes from Sebby Holmes, chef and founder of Thai restaurant Farang, tap into that same tradition of simplicity and balance. His soups – aromatic, clean and built from a handful of ingredients – are perfect poured over rice or noodles, offering a timely reminder that some of the most comforting food on the internet has been quietly simmering for generations.
Tom yum – aromatic chilli and galangal soup
This is a brilliant winter soup. It’s delicious eaten just as a soup, or with rice or noodles. This recipe is the soup at its most basic level, but many things can be added, if you wish, from cherry tomatoes or roasted squash, to wild mushrooms and pickles.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
600ml vegetable stock
2-3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 kaffir lime leaves
30-40g galangal, bruised using a pestle
1 lemongrass stalk, tough outer layer removed, chopped into 4cm pieces and bruised
Big pinch of Thai basil leaves
Juice of ½ lime
2 green bird’s-eye chillies
Method:
1. Put the vegetable stock, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce (add the remaining soy sauce later if it needs it), a pinch of sea salt, the kaffir lime leaves, 2 green birds eye chillies (bruised using a pestle and mortar) and the lemongrass into a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently for 4-5 minutes until all the ingredients have softened with the flavours infused.
3. Finish by adding the Thai basil leaves and then dishing out into bowls, giving each bowl a good squeeze of lime juice. Check the seasoning: it should be salty, spicy, sour and aromatic with a hint of lime at the end. Adjust as needed to suit your taste.
Clear vermicelli noodle soup with fresh herbs and goji berries
This soup has a light broth and can easily be whipped up for a quick lunch. I have also served it with steamed jasmine rice rather than vermicelli noodles, which turns it into a congee-type dish, perfect for eating in the late morning for brunch. I always crave it when I’m ill and feel better afterwards. It’s also delicious with fresh prawns or poached chicken.
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients:
500ml vegetable stock
1 fresh bay leaf
¼ tsp white peppercorns
1 star anise
4cm cassia bark or 1 cinnamon stick
50ml light soy sauce
½ tsp sea salt
1-2 tsp caster sugar
2 red bird's-eye chillies
1 pack choi, core removed and leaves cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp goji berries
¼ large cucumber, peeled and sliced into rounds
30g daikon
10 Thai shallots peeled and bruised in a pestle and mortar
500ml sunflower oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled
10g Thai basil, roughly torn
100g fine vermicelli rice noodles
Method:
1. Heat the stock in a medium saucepan to a simmer.
2. Using a square of muslin or thin cloth, tie the bay leaf, white peppercorns, star anise and cassia bark together in a bouquet garni and add to the stock with the soy sauce, salt and 1 tsp of the sugar.
3. When the liquid begins to bubble, drop in the chillies, pak choi, cucumber, goji berries, daikon and Thai shallots, and reduce the heat to a slow simmer to soften the vegetables and fruit.
4. Simmer for 6-8 minutes, or until the cucumber has softened like a pickled gherkin.
5. Taste for seasoning: the soup should be sweet and savoury, so adjust to suit your palate.
6. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan to around 180C.
7. Pound the garlic to a coarse paste in the pestle and mortar, and then drop it into the oil, using a fork to stop the garlic clumping together.
8. Fry for 1-2 minutes until the garlic begins to turn golden brow, then remove and place onto kitchen paper to drain and crisp up.
9. Stir the basil into the hot soup and serve on top of the cooked noodles; the heat of the broth will heat the noodles to a comfortable eating temperature. Sprinkle with the fried garlic.
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