Filipino garlic fried rice (Sinangag) is the perfect side dish you won't stop eating. Prepared in ten minutes with minimum ingredients, this is one of those fried rice recipes perfect with most curries or on their own!
Garlic, leftover rice, and soy sauce are the core ingredients of this Filipino side dish that can be eaten throughout the day.
While it is often part of breakfast, I like mine with chili chicken or sweet and sour tofu. However, I have no shame in saying I also have it with Chicken 65! It works SO well!
If you tried my other fried rice recipes, like crispy chicken fried rice or steak fried rice, then you will want to be making garlic fried rice next, as it is just as tasty, but so much quicker to prepare!
💎 Why This Recipe Works
- There is no better way to use leftover cooked rice than fried rice. With some minced garlic, green onions, and scrambled eggs, you will prepare a delicious dish in 10 minutes!
- Like our Mexican fried rice and basil fried rice, this recipe is vegetarian, making it the perfect side dish!
🛒 Ingredients
- Leftover Long Grain White Rice: Day-old rice or cold rice works best, as it fries in the pan once it hits the oil. Additionally, as the grains have less moisture left in them, they don't stick together. Should you need to use freshly cooked rice, spread it on a tray and let it cool completely, or chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours before frying. My favorite options for this are basmati (here's how to cook basmati rice) and Jasmine rice (how to cook Jasmine rice), however, you can use your preferred types of long-grain rice. You can use brown rice too!
Be sure to check out the recipe card for all the ingredients and instructions you'll need to make this dish. Don't miss out on any of the details!
♻️ Substitutions and Variations
- Vegetable Oil: For this recipe, I use stir fry oil, which has some sesame oil and garlic essence in it, or sunflower oil. Use your preferred type of neutral oil, however, garlic-infused oil could add a kick!
- Soy Sauce: My preference for this dish is light soy sauce, which is salty and has a thin consistency. Dark soy sauce is sweeter, thicker, and less salty, but richer, which may overwhelm this delicate side dish.
- Pepper: I used white pepper for this recipe, as it suits this garlic fried rice recipe. White pepper is milder, less complex, and slightly musty, while black pepper is sharper, more aromatic, and has a robust flavor. Choose your preference!
- Ajinomoto (MSG): This is an optional ingredient that matters. Ajinomoto enhances umami and balances flavors, making this garlic fried rice taste more savory and satisfying. It is added at the end, so try it before and after to appreciate the difference!
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Garlic Fried Rice
- Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic and green onions. [Picture 1]
- Saute the rice until hot, then add soy sauce, salt, and pepper. [Picture 2]
- Add the egg, cook it until the rice is lightly fried, and check for seasoning. [Picture 3]
- Toss the green part of the green onion and Ajinomoto (MSG), and enjoy! [Picture 4]
🙋♀️ People Also Ask [FAQs]
Yes, you can. For optimal texture, spread the fresh rice on a tray or baking sheet and let it cool completely. You can also chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours before frying. The important part is that your cooked rice doesn't contain too much moisture, as it would prevent it from frying and the grains would stick together.
Consider adding a small amount of chopped bacon or ham at the garlic cooking stage for a savory depth. A few dashes of fish sauce can also enhance umami. Making fried rice with garlic leaves a lot of freedom, and you can add a variety of ingredients to make it your own.
Fried rice is best when eaten immediately, however, it can be stored for later consumption. Store your leftover rice in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating. Reheat the rice in a skillet over medium heat or the microwave until thoroughly warmed.
💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- Gluten-Free: Use tamari or a gluten-free soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce for a gluten-free dish.
- Garlic: Be careful not to burn the garlic! Golden brown garlic adds a nutty flavor, while burnt garlic can be bitter.
🍴 More Delicious Recipes to Try
🍽️ Recipe
Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag)
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Cooked Rice Cold
- 1-2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil of Choice
- 4-5 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Green Onions
- 1-2 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
- 1 Egg
- ½ teaspoon Ajinomoto or to taste
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Wash and slice the green onions, separating the white parts from the green.
- Peel and roughly chop the fresh garlic.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat.
- Add the chopped garlic and the white parts of the green onions. Sauté until they turn fragrant and golden, about 1-2 minutes. Ensure your fried garlic is golden brown and not burnt, as it turns bitter.
- Increase to medium-high heat and add the cold rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes until the rice is well coated with oil and heated through. If you need to break clumps of rice, wet your hands with water or oil so it doesn't stick to them.
- Drizzle the soy sauce over the rice and stir to combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Break the egg in a bowl and beat it with some salt and pepper.
- It is now time to add the beaten egg. You can either move the garlic fried rice to the side and cook the egg as a thin omelet, or pour the beaten egg over the rice, stirring quickly to cook and distribute the egg evenly through the rice. You can choose your preferred method for this step, keeping in mind that, if pouring the mixture over the rice, you will need to move incredibly fast.
- Once the garlic rice is hot and slightly crispy, toss in the green parts of the onions and add the ajinomoto. Stir everything together and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Remove the garlic fried rice from the heat and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Vegetable Oil: For this recipe, I use stir fry oil, which has some sesame oil and garlic essence in it, or sunflower oil. You can use your preferred type of neutral oil, however, garlic-infused oil could really add a kick!
- Rice Preparation (should you not have day-old rice): For optimal texture, spread the hot rice on a tray and let it cool fully. You can also chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours before frying. The important part is that your rice doesn't contain too much moisture, as it would prevent it from frying and the grains would stick together.
- Storing and Reheating: Fried rice is best when eaten immediately, however, it can be stored for later consumption. Store your leftover rice in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating. Reheat the rice in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave until thoroughly warmed.
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