Sinangag (Garlic Fried Rice)

Sinangag or garlic fried rice is the mother of all fried rice varieties in the Philippines.  It is made using day-old cooked rice and flavored with garlic and salt.  It is flavored with soy sauce at times.  Additional ingredients are occasionally added such as leftover meat, sausages, peas, corn, carrots and fried eggs. It is commonly served for breakfast as the rice used is usually the leftover from the previous night's dinner.  The reason being is that day-old rice has a better texture compared to freshly cooked rice.  The latter is usually sticky and will stick at the bottom of the pan.  Sinangag is a constant component of tapsilog (tap-tapa, si-sinangag, log-itlog or egg) and its derivatives.

Sinangag

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 cups day-old rice
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (optional)
• Garnish: 2 tablespoons chopped green onions or a sprig of parsley (optional)

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat.  Saute garlic for 2 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Pour the rice in and cook while stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until rice begins to lightly brown.
3. Season with salt and soy sauce (if using.)  Stir and remove from heat.
4. Serve warm.