Sinangag (Filipino Garlic Fried Rice with Crispy Garlic)

Sinangag is a staple in Filipino breakfasts. But this flavorful fried rice topped with lots of crispy garlic can be a delicious part of any meal. Must love garlic!

for some helpful tips before you begin, click here.

Ingredients:

8 to 10 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil
6 cups (1.2 kg) cooked rice
3/4 teaspoon (4.5 g) salt
1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) black pepper
1/2 teaspoon (1.5 g) MSG*
3 scallions, chopped

*I use MSG because it makes food delicious. But if you don’t like to use MSG, feel free to omit it.

Directions:

1. Crisp the garlic.

– Heat the oil and minced garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Let the garlic sizzle, stirring for even cooking.
– Once the garlic starts to change color, turn the heat down to medium-low.
– As soon as the garlic becomes lightly golden, remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel, leaving behind the garlic infused oil. (Do not let the garlic brown too much or it will be bitter.)

2. Fry the rice in the garlic oil.

– Turn the heat up to medium-high.
– Break up the rice into the pan and season with the salt, pepper and MSG.
– Stir-fry the rice, making sure all the rice is coated with the garlic oil, until the rice is hot and cooked to your liking.

3. Serve with the crispy garlic and scallions.

– Serve the rice hot and topped with the crispy garlic and chopped scallions.

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About this recipe

Sinangag (Filipino garlic fried rice) is typically breakfast food, part of a much loved Filipino breakfast known as tapsilog. Tapsilog is the combination of beef tapa (marinated beef), Sinangag (garlic fried rice) and itlog (eggs, usually fried).

But we enjoy this rice at other mealtimes, too. It is a flavorful side, easy to prepare and makes good use of leftover rice.

Tips:

Here are 3 helpful tips:

1) Use rice that was made one or two days ago.

– Freshly made rice will have too much moisture to fry up properly and may turn out sticky and clumpy.

– If you have no leftover rice, you can dry out freshly made steaming hot rice by spreading it out on a sheet pan in front of a fan to dry for an hour or two. When there is no more steam and the rice is completely cooled, place in the refrigerator, as is, until ready to use.

– Need to make rice? Click here.

2) Be patient and keep an eye on the garlic.

– Be patient and let the garlic brown gently on medium-low heat. You don’t want to risk the garlic getting too brown and tasting too bitter.

– Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon when it is just lightly golden. It will continue to crisp up as it cools.

crispy garlic — Crisp the garlic to a light golden color.

3) Freezing fried rice:

This fried rice can be frozen, however, the garlic will not be crispy when re-heated.

– To freeze fried rice, let cool, then place in freezer bags. Freeze up to 2 months.

– To reheat, thaw and re-fry in a little vegetable oil.