St. Patrick's Day Brunch - Filipino Style

Clockwise from left to right: Buko Pandan Drink, Sinangag (Garlic Fried Rice), Sapin-Sapin Rice Cake, Pandesal, Corned Beef Hash and Embutido

Good day!  We are counting down to St. Patrick's Day on March 17.  St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, has a widely-celebrated feast day in the United States.  Nearly 35 million Americans - almost 11% of the population -  report Irish ancestry.  Even President Barack Obama had some maternal ancestors come to America from the small village of Moneygall, County Offaly, Ireland.*

Our Filipino-Irish-American family will start our St. Patrick's Day celebration with a Filipino brunch featuring Filipino dishes that are comparable to the popular Irish dishes of sheperd's pie and hash. We'll enjoy a refreshing green drink and finish with a dessert of different colors resembling a rainbow - all of which reflect the celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

Here is our St. Patrick's Day Brunch menu with links to the recipe for each entree.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Saint. Patrick's Day Brunch

Empanada

Crisp golden pockets of ground beef, potatoes, carrots and peas slightly sweetened with sugar and raisins

Pandesal

Fragrant and airy golden roll of bread speckled with fine bread crumbs

Sinangag

Fried rice flavored with garlic

Corned Beef Hash

Chunky corned beef and potatoes flavored with garlic and onions

Sapin-Sapin

Steamed sweet rice cake in five layers of different colors and flavors

Buko Pandan Drink

A refreshing sweet blend of coconut milk, coconut flesh and gelatin served over ice

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.