A simple rice dish that is full of flavor — Sinangag (or Filipino Garlic Fried Rice) is excellent with fried or grilled meat and fish. Do you think it’s just good for breakfast? Nope, you can serve it any time of the day!
Traditionally served for breakfast with some fried dried fish or fried eggs, Filipino Garlic Rice is now commonly served for lunch or dinner as well.
Sinangag goes well with (almost) anything because it’s not an overpowering dish. Yes, it’s got crispy garlic and garlic-infused oil, but they are subtle flavors.
So, if you were already put-off because of the word ‘garlic’, think again. Give it a try, and you might change your mind. 🙂
WHAT YOU NEED TO PREPARE FILIPINO GARLIC RICE
WHAT KIND OF OIL?
Any vegetable oil that’s got a neutral taste will work well.
Sunflower or canola oil — these two types are what I usually use at home.
CAN I USE RICE THAT’S JUST BEEN COOKED?
I would not recommend it.
Dry cooked rice works better for making fried rice; hence I ALWAYS use left-over rice from the day before.
I never had any complaints about the result. 🙂
HOW TO MAKE SINANGAG
Start by heating the oil in a large wok, skillet or aluminum pan. Set the heat to medium-low.
Add the garlic right away (photo 1).
Spread the garlic evenly and continue cooking; adjust the heat to medium (photo 2).
Mix frequently, and once the garlic turned into a darker, golden color (not burnt!), remove about a teaspoon for garnish later (photo 3).
Add the rice and adjust heat to medium-high. Mix to combine.
Add salt plus pepper, and mix (photo 4).
Continue cooking and frequently mixing for about 10 to 12 minutes. You can adjust the seasoning during this time as well.
Take the pan off the heat.
Transfer into a plate and garnish with the remaining crispy garlic and chopped spring onions.
Serve.
TOP TIPS ON MAKING FILIPINO FRIED RICE
- No need to wait for the oil to become hot before adding the garlic. It helps to cook it slowly; it also makes it easier not to burn the garlic this way.
- Make sure that the rice is dry, not sticky or clumpy.
- Use your hands to separate the grains of the rice, sort of like squeezing them with your fingers; again, this can only work if the cooked rice is dry.
- Taste and adjust seasoning before taking it off the heat.
WANT MORE ASIAN RECIPES? THEN YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE POSTS –
OR IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR MORE IDEAS ON RICE DISHES, THEN HEAD OUT TO MY RICE AND OTHER GRAINS COLLECTION!
Filipino Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag)
Ingredients
- 5 cups rice, cooked & equivalent to 1 cup uncooked
- 3 & 1/2 tbsp oil
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp spring onions, chopped & only light parts
- salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
- Add oil on a large wok or skillet; set heat to medium-low.
- Add garlic and spread evenly. Adjust the heat to medium and continue cooking until garlic turns darker, regularly mixing to ensure that it does not get burnt.
- Take about 1 teaspoon of the browned garlic and set aside for garnish later.
- Add rice and adjust heat to medium-high.
- Mix to coat the grains evenly with the oil. Add salt and pepper.
- Continue cooking for about 10 to 12 minutes, intermittently mixing to cook it evenly.
- Adjust the seasoning before taking the pan off the heat.
- Transfer into a serving plate. Top with the saved crispy garlic and chopped spring onions.
- Serve.
Notes
- Use neutrally flavored vegetable oil like canola or sunflower. They work better for Filipino fried rice than olive oil.
- Add the garlic with the oil right away. It helps in not burning them, as well as infusing the oil longer with garlic flavor.
- Use dry cooked rice, with separated grains. Clumpy or sticky ones will not work well with Sinangag.
- Do not forget to taste and adjust seasoning before taking the pan off the heat. It helps to do this repeatedly since there is a lot of mixing involved.
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