Recipes / Quick / Sinangag, Filipino garlic fried rice

Sinangag, Filipino garlic fried rice

Name: Sinangag, Filipino garlic fried rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Philippines
Ingredients: 2 cups day-old cooked white rice (jasmine or long-grain); 6 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable or sunflower); 1 tsp fish sauce (or salt to taste); 2 spring onions, sliced; 1 pinch ground white pepper

Cold rice fried in abundant garlic until golden and aromatic. The backbone of every Filipino breakfast — served alongside almost everything.

Published May 11, 2026 · 3 min read · Braffess Kitchen

Prep

5 min

Cook

10 min

Serves

Level

Easy

Sinangag, Filipino garlic fried rice - Philippines breakfast recipe

Method

Fry the garlic.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook slowly, stirring constantly, for 4–6 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove half the garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside for garnish.

Note. Low and slow is the key. Burnt garlic is bitter and will ruin the dish.

Fry the rice.

Turn the heat up to high. Add the cold cooked rice to the pan. Break up any clumps with a spatula. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until every grain is coated in garlic oil and starting to crisp at the edges.

Note. Use cold day-old rice — freshly cooked rice clumps and steams instead of frying.

Season and serve.

Season with fish sauce and white pepper. Toss well. Pile onto plates and top with the reserved crispy garlic and sliced spring onions. Serve as part of a tapsilog breakfast with eggs and meat.

A note. Sinangag is made with day-old rice — freshly cooked rice is too wet and steams instead of frying. The garlic must be cooked low and slow until deeply golden and crisp. That garlic oil is the entire flavour of the dish.

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