“Sinangag or Filipino Garlic Fried Rice is made with day-old rice grains fried with savory and crunchy fried garlic – a great way to use up leftover rice.”

Garlic fried rice or popularly known as sinangag is a genius technique to turn dull leftover rice into a garlicky flavor explosion that will awaken your senses. Sinangag is a Filipino breakfast staple (just like pandesal) usually served with a fried egg and various fried dish.

Filipinos are known for eating rice 3 times a day and sometimes tends to cooked more in each meal because of notion that more is better than less (“mas maganda na ang sobra kaysa kulang”). Filipinos are also known for being creative on how to recreate food in order not to waste it. And this sinangag is one of the ways to do that.

I grew up in a big family and sinangag is one of the favorite dish my mom cooks when we have left over rice. We usually place left over rice in the fridge so that it will not spoil. Then cook it on the next day.

Making sinangag is like hitting 2 birds in 1 stone. Aside from heating the rice to make it soft and removes bacteria, it also saves time and money while providing additional flavor. I think that is 4 birds, hahaha… Anyway, the end result is a filling and satisfying breakfast.

WHAT IS SINANGAG

Sinangag is a Filipino fried rice dish made by stir-frying pre-cooked rice with lots of garlic. Stale rice, usually leftover cooked rice from the day before, is preferred because it produces rice that is somewhat fermented and firmer.

In the Philippines, garlic fried rice is a popular dish because rice is a staple cuisine in the Philippines. This style of cooking rice works well with numerous fried meals and most commonly served as “silog,” a combo meal made up of “sinangag” and “itlog” which means “egg.”

Some of the most popular versions are Long-Si-Log (combo with longganisa, a sweet Filipino sausage), Tap-Si-Log (combo with beef tapa, cured beef), Bang-Si-Log (daing na bangus, fried marinated milkfish), and To-Si-Log (tocino, cured pork belly).

It’s also a great pair with fried dish such as tuyo and danggit (variety of sundried fish), daing (marinated item). And beef pares would also be incomplete without it.

GARLIC FRIED RICE INGREDIENTS

This Filipino fried rice, like a simple Italian pasta, has only five basic components. But every cook seems to make it differently. You can customize yours by using a different fat, getting the garlic more or less brown, using different rice, and adding other ingredients. The key to making a good Sinangag, like other basic recipes, is in the ingredients and method of cooking.

The simple ingredients of this fried rice is oil, minced garlic, rice, salt and pepper. The simplicity of this side dish is what makes it so appealing.

Rice.

Any long-grain rice will suffice in this recipe. Long-grain rice has a higher concentration of Amylose than Amylopectin, which prevents rice grains from sticking together. Short-grain rice, on the other hand, contains more Amylopectin than Amylose, making it sticky and ideal for sushi but less so for garlic fried rice.

I also recommend using day-old rice that has been refrigerated overnight. The reason behind is that when rice is refrigerated, the Amylose in it hardens, preventing the rice from breaking as it is fried.

Garlic.

I recommend using fresh garlic and chopping it because pre-chopped garlic has preservatives that can give it an off-flavor. Another important factor is to use a lot of garlic.

Fat.

Garlic fried rice recipe is traditionally cooked using vegetable oil. However, I want the garlicky flavor to stand out in my garlic fried rice. But I don’t want it to be oily or heavy. While butter and healthful saturated fats add additional taste to the rice, they also make it heavier. This is why I use olive oil. It absorbs and redistributes the garlic taste while giving the rice a clean, rich flavor.

Seasonings.

While you can add other ingredients to the rice, such as tuyo flakes, soy sauce, or oyster sauce. However, sinangag is more of a side dish to accompany other dishes than a stand-alone dish. That’s why it is always nice to keep things simple. Aside from a generous amount of garlic, I added salt for umami flavor and pepper for a slight spice. Also adding other liquid seasonings will produce more moisture that may result in your rice being mushy.

HOW TO MAKE GARLIC FRIED RICE

Garlic fried rice is really simple to make.

The first step is to break down the rice between your hands. You can damp your hands with water so it will not stick to your hands or use a greased spatula if desired. This process will make stir-frying considerably easier, and the garlicky oil can cover each grain of rice.

Prepare the garlic oil for frying the rice. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet and add the minced garlic. The garlic should be fried over medium heat until it is golden and crisp.

This not only flavorizes the oil, but it also increases the garlic’s flavor. If you cook your garlic on a high heat, it will burn before it is entirely crisp. Once all of the water in the garlic has drained, it will immediately begin to take on color. So be careful and keep a close eye on the garlic since it can quickly turn from barely tan to dark brown.

The garlic will be fragrant at this point, before tossing the rice in, save a quarter of the crisped garlic for garnishing the fried rice.

Afterwards, add the crumbled rice and toss it. Adjust your heat to medium-high. Warming the rice while coating each grain with the fragrant oil is the goal here.

The key to good fried rice is to leave the rice alone as it cooks. So, once you’ve stirred the rice to coat it in the delicious garlic oil, let it aside for 2-3 minutes to allow it to form a lovely crust.

You’ll repeat this process until your rice is cooked.

Season the rice with salt and pepper, then serve with crisp garlic as garnish.

Aside from the common “silog” combo, I’d like to pair this with any fried food such as lumpia, lechon belly, crispy pata, or pork barbecue and a side of atchara.

It’s so easy, yet it’s a fantastic way to dress up your rice!

SECRETS FOR A PERFECT FRIED RICE

• Use leftover cooked rice that has been refrigerated. The rice grains will firm up overnight in the fridge, making it easier to separate and reducing the likelihood of mushy fried rice.

• Use long or medium grain rice instead of short grain. Short grain rice is softer and more likely to cling together.

• Ensure your ingredients don’t stick to the surface by using a blazing hot wok (a wok is best, but a large pan, skillet, or Dutch oven will suffice) and an ample amount of oil. Remember to preheat your wok before adding ingredients.

• Make use of the largest pan you have in the kitchen and don’t overcrowd it. When there are too many ingredients in the wok, it does not heat up properly, and the contents become mushy, causing the rice to clump together. Less moisture will give you good result.

• Use fresh minced garlic for best flavor and texture. Aside from the flavor and aroma of fresh garlic, it also has health benefits. Garlic is high in vitamin C, B6, and manganese.

• After you coat all the grains, give the rice the chance to create a crispy rice (known as “tutong” in tagalog) by not tossing it.

Keep one aim in mind: non-mushy fried rice, and everything else will fall into place.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What kind of rice is used to make fried rice?

Jasmine rice (Thai) is the ideal rice for fried rice because it has a solid body and keeps its shape nicely. It’s sticky enough for chopsticks to bring the grains together, but not mushy.

In reality, any long-grain rice will work because it will behave similarly to jasmine rice. What sets jasmine rice apart from the rest is its somewhat sweet, nutty flavor, which will serve as a lovely backdrop for the rest of the components.

You will find jasmine rice in most supermarkets, not only Asian stores or markets.

You can still make fried rice if you only have medium grain rice on hand, but remember that it will result in different texture.

Should you make fried rice using fresh or day-old rice?

Day-old rice is the best rice for fried rice. This indicates that the rice is fully cooked but has had time to dry up and separate a little.

If case you’re heating rice for fried rice tomorrow, don’t forget to fluff it up afterward. Once you leave it alone, it will solidify into a single block, and the rice grains will break.

If you use fresh rice, air dry it first to take away moisture and chill it for a few hours before cooking.

Why my fried rice is mushy?

When there is too much moisture in the ingredient or the rice itself, fried rice becomes mushy. This could be due to using raw rice, overcooked rice, damp components when adding the rice, or simply overcrowding the pan.

To acquire the perfect texture in fried rice, cook in small batches to enable moisture to escape.

HOW TO SERVE FILIPINO GARLIC RICE

Filipino garlic fried rice is commonly served with sunny-side up eggs and fried meat or fish for breakfast.

You can also serve it with just plain omelette.

If you don’t like rice (or garlic) for breakfast, this garlic fried rice recipe also works well as a lunch or light dinner.

To make this garlic fried rice more of a meal, add your favorite veggies (like peas, diced carrots or beans) and meat (cooked chicken or pork). But make sure that they are moisture-free and not overcrowded on the pan.

Don’t just heat your day-old rice in a microwave, but try this garlic fried rice recipe to transform your bland leftover rice into a garlic-infused explosion that will leave you satisfied. Happy tummy!

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