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Since I updated my tocino, longganisa, and tapa recipes with brand new photos and cooking tips, I thought I’d go ahead and revamp my sinangag post as well. Because what goes better with these Filipino cured meats than hot and toasty garlic fried rice?
One of my favorite kitchen hacks is cooking double the steamed rice and storing half in the freezer for future meals. This trick has saved my sanity on many occasions. When I’m too busy or too lazy to prepare an elaborate meal for the family, I just a thaw bag of my pre-cooked rice and toss it with other odds and ends in the fridge into a hearty and filling stir-fry.
Most of my previous stash, however, is used to make sinangag. My top meal of the day is breakfast and what better meal to wake up to than a hefty plate of Filipino silog? Seriously, what can be more delightful to the senses than the fragrant aroma of toasted garlic?
Tips on How to Make Garlic Fried Rice
- A wok or a wide pan with slanted sides works best for stir-fries to allow easy distribution of ingredients without spills.
- Use cold, leftover cooked rice. Day-old rice has less moisture and firmer grains, making it easier to separate and prevents it from turning into mush when stir-fried. If you need to use freshly cooked rice, spread it out in a thin layer on a baking sheet and stick in the fridge for a few hours to dry out and completely cool.
- Use the right kind and right amount of oil. You want the fried rice to have a slight sheen but not overly greasy. Use oils with a neutral flavor and high smoke points such as peanut, grapeseed, canola or corn oil.
- Cook the garlic in low heat so they’ll infuse the oil with flavor before browning.
- After the garlic has browned, set burners on high heat before adding rice to prevent the grains from sticking to the surface and to give the dish a nice toasty flavor.
- Feel free to garnish the sinangag with extra crispy garlic and chopped green onions.
How to Serve Sinangag
Sinangag is traditionally prepared for breakfast as a way to make use of leftover rice from last night’s dinner.
Although it is usually served as a component of the classic Filipino meal, silog, this Filipino-style garlic rice is also a great side dish to other lunch or dinner viands such as chicken adobo, fried pork chops or beef pares.
Sinangag (Garlic Fried Rice)
Ingredients
- 4cupscold, cooked white rice
- 1/4cupcanola oil
- 1head garlic, peeled and minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a bowl, break cold rice to separate grains.
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In a wide skillet over low heat, heat about 1/4 cup oil.
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Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, remove about 1/4 of the garlic and drain on paper towels.
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Remove excess oil except for about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Raise heat to high, swirling the oil to coat the surface of the pan.
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Add rice and cook, spreading on the surface of the pan for about 45 seconds or until grains start to sizzle and then toss to redistribute. Repeat a few times until rice is heated through.
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Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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To serve, transfer to a serving platter and top with the reserved garlic bits.
