Filipino Garlic Rice (Sinangag)

This Filipino garlic rice is infused with fragrant garlic oil and loaded with crispy garlic chips. A breakfast staple in the Philippines, sinangag is a great use for that leftover Jasmine rice sitting in your fridge right now. And it’s ready in just 10 minutes from start to finish.

In my opinion, there’s nothing more instantly appetizing than the smell of garlic cooking in oil. Those two kitchen staples are the starter ingredients to so many of the foods I love – that I have a literal Pavlovian response to the scent.

And when it comes to fried rice, this recipe will have the garlic lovers in your house running to the kitchen to see what you’re working on. More fragrant than a classic chicken fried rice or shrimp fried rice, sinangag is also lighter and fluffier.

What is Filipino Garlic Rice?

Filipino garlic fried rice (sinangag) is long grain Jasmine rice stir fried in a simple mixture of garlic and oil. Loaded with crispy garlic chips, it’s a traditional breakfast dish in the Philippines.

Those garlic chips not only caramelize to perfection in the cooking oil, they also infuse the oil with garlic flavor. That flavor then is then absorbed by the rice grains. It’s the perfect kitchen alchemy, producing a ton of flavor from a short ingredients list – most of which you probably have sitting in your pantry right now!

Ingredients for Filipino Garlic Rice

Scroll all the way down for the full recipe.

• Neutral Cooking Oil: Use vegetable oil – or any other neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point that’s in your pantry.
• Garlic: 5 large cloves should have you sitting pretty. Take your whole cloves and slice your garlic into thin chips. (Note: if you prefer minced garlic, you can run your cloves through a garlic press instead. That said, I think the recipe works best with larger chips).
• Leftover Rice: Long grain Jasmine rice is best. I recommend you use leftover rice (at least day-old cooked rice) that has been sitting in the refrigerator. We’ll talk more about why this is important a little later in the post.
• Rock Salt: You’ll want to use coarse salt in this simple dish. Kosher salt or coarse sea salt are great options.
• Scallions: Chopped green onions add a crispness and an earthy, verdant note to the rice with fried garlic.

Frying the Garlic

We’re essentially frying garlic in oil to create a garlic oil. This oil will be so infused with garlic flavor that it will coat and permeate the rice grains so that every bite is bursting with flavor. And the toasted crunchy garlic bits scattered throughout the finished fried rice takes it a whole new level!

1. Add the oil and sliced garlic to a wok or skillet over medium low heat. You want the heat on the lower side so the garlic doesn’t overcook, and the oil has plenty of time to be completely saturated with garlicky goodness.
2. Cook for about 4-5 minutes – or until the oil becomes fragrant and the garlic turns a golden color.

How to Make Garlic Rice

1. Gather all of your kitchen tools and equipment.
2. Prepare your garlic chips and garlic oil according to the steps I outlined in the section above. It’s ready when the garlic turns a golden color the oil is fragrant.
3. Add your leftover cooked rice to the pan and gently break up any clumps using a spatula or rice paddle. Mix with the garlic and oil well – and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the rice is hot.
4. Turn the heat off, but keep everything in the pan. Top the Filipino garlic rice with your chopped scallions and coarse salt and mix well. Serve it while it’s hot!

What’s the Best Rice for Filipino Fried Rice?

Day-old Jasmine rice is the best rice for this recipe. Jasmine rice is a long grain rice often used to make fried rice – such as this Thai fried rice – in Southeast Asia. Avoid using freshly cooked rice if you can as it’s usually too pliant and loaded with moisture.

When making Filipino fried rice, we’re introducing moisture in the form of the garlic oil. If I took rice straight from the rice cooker and tossed it into the wok, the texture would turn soft and mushy as it would steam instead of fry.

By placing cooked rice in the refrigerator for a day or two, the moisture evaporates and the grains have time to dry and become firm. This is the perfect texture for making fried rice.

Storing Options

FRIDGE

Transfer the garlic rice to an airtight storage container and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days. Reheat in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or in a pan with a little oil, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes.

FREEZER

Let the rice cool to room temperature and divide it into single servings. Put each serving into a freezer friendly storage bag and freeze for 4 to 6 months.

To reheat, take the rice out of the freezer and thaw it in the fridge overnight. Reheat in a skillet over medium low heat for about 5 minutes.

What to Serve with Garlic Rice

This yummy sinangag recipe is delicious on its own or can be topped with Or you with a fried egg and some chili oil. While it’s a typically a breakfast staple in the Philippines – you can serve it anytime alongside a savory and sour salmon na sinigang.

For small sides, I like to serve it with a simple miso soup, cucumber salad, or some kimchi for a little heat.

What do you like to eat fried rice with? Let me hear about your favorites in the comments section below!

Other Delicious and Easy Fried Rice Recipes

When it comes to easy comfort food you can whip up in your home kitchen, I usually automatically default to Asian rice recipes. And fried rice is always high on that list.

Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

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