Traipse across Philly, you will find Southeast Asia well represented. From Thai to Vietnamese to Indonesian, you’re sure to find something that tickles your fancy. Darken enough doorsteps, you’ll also see that each culture contributes distinct entries into the realm of brothy deliciousness, and it goes beyond just pho. This is where we start our first class recap of 2020. Robin Admana and Sandy Trinh of Foolish Waffles stopped by to expand our knowledge of Asian soups and stews with our guests.

After years in corporate law (in a former life, Robin was a lawyer) and on various lines around the city (Robin and Sandy met on the line at Kratftwork), Robin started Foolish Waffles 5 years ago, with Sandy joining soon thereafter. Over time, they’ve established themselves as one of Philly’s more entertaining food personalities (talk to them long enough and you’ll be in stitches) while serving some of the city’s best street food. They produce delicious comfort food, so you can trust they know their way around a soup or two.

For Robin and her Filipino family, hearty stews were a staple. When Robin’s mom would make sinigang, a hot-and-sour soup with a tamarind broth and plenty of meat, she would load it up with veggies like green beans, carrots and scallions. Fortified with both fish sauce and shrimp stock, this slightly spiced soup was served with rice, chili oil and grilled head-on shrimp.

Congee, the porridge-like rice stew, is something of a specialty in Sandy’s family. It’s a dish her grandma would start the night before, soaking the rice to pull out all that starchy goodness you need to thicken the final product. The other primary component is stock. It consists of boiling chicken with ginger, garlic, lemongrass, skin-on onion, peppercorn and star anise. Once the chicken is cooked, Sandy removed it replaced it with the soaked rice, reserving the shredded chicken. Reducing the heat to a simmer, the rice-stock combination starts to thicken. After filling the bowl with the finished congee, they finished the dish with the shredded chicken, fresh cilantro, scallions, fried shallots, crispy garlic and chili oil.

There’s something about a beef stew that’s just heart and soul-warming. With root vegetables and a robust stock, it is the perfect companion for blistering cold days (especially ones that feature a squall!). Another of Sandy’s favorites, bò kho, is one such crowd-pleaser born out of Vietnam. You can use a variety of meat cuts (oxtail, brisket) to fill this recipe out but she opted for chuck roast. Cutting into inch chunks, they seared the pieces and then braised it in with bay leaf, five-spice, star anise, rock sugar, ginger and lemongrass. The trick here is to not cook the meat and vegetables together so neither overcooks. You can serve it with rice, but we enjoyed it with noodles.

As if three savory stews weren’t enough, Robin brought us a traditional Filipino sweet version that utilizes jackfruit, plantains, Japanese sweet potato and mochi rice balls, all swimming in coconut milk and tapioca. This tropical treat uses the naturally occurring sugars of rice, milk, fruit and vegetables to deliver sweetness.

Be sure to follow them on social media to keep track of where to find the duo’s Foolish Waffles truck, and be on the lookout for their pop-ups!