Garlic fried rice is an incredibly easy and delicious Filipino fried rice made with crispy fried garlic, salt, pepper, soy sauce, and green onions. This garlicky fried rice is perfect for breakfast or as a side dish for any meal.
The best part about this Filipino garlic fried rice is that it is incredibly versatile and can be served with any meal. Serve this sinangag recipe with some spam and eggs for breakfast or with your chicken adobo for lunch or dinner!
Sinangag or garlic fried rice or garlic rice is a dish that originated in the Philippines. The garlic rice uses cold day-old leftover rice and is tossed with fried garlic, salt, pepper, soy sauce, and green onions. This Filipino garlic fried rice is typically served for breakfast or as a side dish accompanying a protein. Sinangag is a beloved dish in the Philippines and is also loved in other areas such as Indonesia, Singapore, and Hawaii.
Ingredients
You can easily find all of these ingredients for this Filipino garlic fried rice recipe at your local grocery store.
Long-grain white rice: For this garlic rice recipe, I used long-grain jasmine white rice. Make sure to use day-old white rice to prevent the rice from clumping up and getting too mushy.
Vegetable oil:vegetable oil to fry and crisp up the garlic.
Garlic: garlic is the star of the show. Make sure to use fresh garlic for the best, garlicky fried rice flavor.
Green onions: green onions add an aromatic element.
Salt and White pepper:salt and white pepper to add additional seasoning to the garlic rice recipe.
Soy sauce:soy sauce adds a hint of salty umami soy sauce flavor that pairs deliciously with the fried garlic.
Substitutions and Additions
You can customize your garlic rice recipe based on your personal preferences. I have listed some suggestions for substitutions and additions for you below.
Substitutions
Butter: for a richer flavor, you can use butter instead of vegetable oil. You may need to lower the heat to prevent the butter from burning.
Basmati rice: instead of long-grain white rice you can also use basmati rice.
Brown rice: you can swap out the white rice for brown rice to make garlic brown rice.
Black pepper: instead of white pepper, black pepper will also work.
Tamari or Liquid Aminos: instead of regular soy sauce, you can use tamari or liquid aminos for a gluten-free sinangag recipe.
Adobo sauce: if you have any leftover adobo sauce from your chicken adobo recipe, that would work beautifully in this garlic rice recipe.
Additions
Eggs: for added flavor and protein, you can easily toss in some scrambled eggs.
Spam: toss in some pan-fried spam for a delicious full meal.
Protein: you can also toss this Filipino garlic fried rice with a protein of your choice such as chicken, beef, pork, tofu, or shrimp.
Sugar: for a hint of added sweetness, you can sprinkle in a dash of sugar.
Stir-fried vegetables: before tossing the rice, you can easily stir-fry some veggies such as carrots, peas, corn, broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc to make a more balanced meal.
How to Make Garlic Fried Rice
Here are the steps for how to make this Filipino garlic fried rice (sinangag) recipe. I recommend planning and making the rice the night before for best results.
Fry the garlic. In a wok or large pan, heat the olive oil over medium to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until just golden brown stirring frequently to prevent from burning. Then remove the garlic from the pan leaving the oil behind.
Add the green onions. Next add in the green onions and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the rice. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat add the rice and toss to combine and break up any clumps. For crispy rice bits, spread the rice to form a thin layer on the wok to crisp up for 30 seconds.
Season the rice. Add the salt, white pepper, and soy sauce. Then toss to combine. Add 2/3 of the garlic back in and toss to combine.
Serve. Garnish with the remaining fried garlic, and fresh green onions and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Garlic Fried Rice
Use day-old rice. Freshly cooked rice may be too wet and sticky for this Filipino garlic fried rice. Day-old rice allows the grains to dry out slightly resulting in an ideal texture for stir-frying.
Prep the ingredients before cooking. Prepare the garlic, and have all the seasoning ingredients measured before you start cooking for a seamless cook.
Remove the garlic when just golden brown. Carefully watch the garlic as you fry it stirring frequently. Remove the garlic when it turns just golden brown. The garlic will continue to brown and slightly darken after you remove it from the pan.
Keep the oil after you fry the garlic. Strain the garlic out of the oil and reuse the oil. The garlic-infused oil is key to adding another layer of garlicky flavor to the rice.
Storage Instructions
You can store this garlicky fried rice once it has cooled completely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat: you can either microwave the sinangag covered until warm or toss the rice in a skillet on the stove over medium heat until warm.
Freeze: this garlic fried rice recipe also freezes well. You can store the fried rice in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Frequently Asked Q’s and A’s
How do you make fried rice and not burn the garlic?
When frying the garlic, use medium to medium-low heat and constantly stir the garlic to prevent it from burning. Watch the garlic carefully and remove it from the heat when it just turns golden brown. The garlic will continue to cook and brown as it cools and crisps up.
What to serve with garlic fried rice?
This garlic fried rice or sinangag can be served with just about anything! I like to serve it with my spam and eggs for breakfast or with my chicken adobo for dinner.
Can I use freshly cooked rice for garlic fried rice?
While it is recommended to use day-old rice, yes, you can use freshly cooked rice that has been cooled and refrigerated for at least 2 hours. Spread the freshly cooked rice onto a baking sheet and place it in the refrigerator to cool quickly.
Garlic fried rice is an incredibly easy and delicious Filipino fried rice made with crispy fried garlic, salt, pepper, soy sauce, and green onions. This garlicky fried rice is perfect for breakfast or as a side dish for any meal.
Fry the garlic. In a wok or large pan, heat the olive oil over medium to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until just golden brown stirring frequently to prevent from burning. Then remove the garlic from the pan leaving the oil behind.
Add the green onions. Next add in the green onions and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the rice. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat add the rice and toss to combine and break up any clumps. For crispy rice bits, spread the rice to form a thin layer on the wok to crisp up for 30 seconds.
Season the rice. Add the salt, white pepper, and soy sauce. Then toss to combine. Add 2/3 of the garlic back in and toss to combine.
Serve. Garnish with the remaining fried garlic, and fresh green onions and enjoy!
Notes
Use day-old rice. Freshly cooked rice may be too wet and sticky for this Filipino garlic fried rice. Day-old rice allows the grains to dry out slightly resulting in an ideal texture for stir-frying.
Prep the ingredients before cooking. Prepare the garlic, and have all the seasoning ingredients measured before you start cooking for a seamless cook.
Remove the garlic when just golden brown. Carefully watch the garlic as you fry it stirring frequently. Remove the garlic when it turns just golden brown. The garlic will continue to brown and slightly darken after you remove it from the pan.
Keep the oil after you fry the garlic. Strain the garlic out of the oil and reuse the oil. The garlic-infused oil is key to adding another layer of garlicky flavor to the rice.
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