Filipino Garlic Rice (Sinangag)

Filipino Garlic Rice, also called Sinangag, is a traditional Filipino food. Often eaten with eggs, spam, or even as part of a larger meal, Garlic Rice is a staple that can be turned into fried rice or eaten as is. You can even turn this into a Filipino Garlic Spam Fried Rice dish!

Make Garlic Rice for any occasion. It's a Filipino staple!
Make Garlic Rice for any occasion. It’s a Filipino staple!

Ingredients:

  • Jasmine Rice: Use the long-grain Jasmine variety of rice to make your Garlic Rice. You can use freshly-cooked rice (just add a touch less water) or use day-old rice that’s been sitting in your fridge.
  • Garlic: Use as much garlic as you would like for this recipe! I usually use around 2 to 3 cloves per cup of rice.
  • Oil: You will need a neutral cooking oil, such as a vegetable or canola oil, to fry the garlic.
  • Salt: Using a natural sea salt in this recipe will bring out the spicy-sweet flavor of the garlic.

How to Make Filipino Garlic Rice

This easy Filipino rice is a simple and quick recipe to whip up.

Add about 10 cloves of minced garlic to hot cooking oil.
Add about 10 cloves of minced garlic to hot cooking oil.
Allow the garlic to fry until golden brown.
Allow the garlic to fry until golden brown.

Roughly chop or slice your garlic cloves. Add in your oil to a large pan and add in the garlic. Fry the garlic for about 4 minutes. Take care not to burn the garlic, as burned garlic tastes bitter.

Add in cooked jasmine rice and toss well to make your Garlic Rice.
Add in cooked jasmine rice and toss well to make your Garlic Rice.

After frying the garlic, add in your cooked rice. Toss and mix the rice with the garlic. Season with salt and give your rice another toss to evenly combine all the ingredients.

Serve your rice as-is or with crispy garlic and sliced green onion.

What to Serve with Filipino Garlic Rice

There are a couple ways to serve your freshly made garlic rice.

It is often eaten as a side in Filipino culture.

I like to use my garlic rice with a fried egg on top, or as a base for Spam fried rice.

Common Questions about Filipino Garlic Rice

What kind of rice should I use?

You should use Jasmine rice for your garlic rice. Jasmine rice is a long-grain aromatic rice that holds flavors well. You can buy Jasmine rice at any grocery store or buy it in bulk at Costco.

Do I have to use day-old rice for Garlic Rice?

It’s a typical fried rice notion that you should always use day-old rice for your fried rice. This is because using older rice is a bit drier and will stand up to frying better than just-cooked rice. If you forget to make rice the day ahead, or simply have a craving for garlic rice, you can make rice before you fry the garlic, just add a touch less water than you normally would so you yield a drier rice.

Is garlic rice healthy?

Rice is one of the most popular grains consumed in the world. It has a low amount of sodium, fat and cholesterol. When adding rice with garlic, it becomes a superfood. Garlic is known for it’s ability to fight bacteria, viruses and fungus. One of the nutrients in garlic, allicin, is known for its ability to aid in fighting bacteria.

Other Recipes:

Filipino Garlic Rice (Sinangag)

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Sarah Course: Easy Recipes, Side Dishes, Quick and EasyCuisine: FilipinoDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

15

minutes
Calories

300

kcal

Ingredients

  • 10 cloves 10 garlic

  • 4 cups 4 cooked jasmine rice

  • 2 tbsn 2 neutral cooking oil

  • salt, to taste

Directions

  • Finely mince the garlic. Set aside.
  • Prep a large skillet or wok with the oil. Allow the oil to get hot, almost to the point of smoking. Add the garlic and sautee for 5 to 7 minutes. Allow the garlic to slightly brown.
  • After frying the garlic, add in the cooked rice. Toss well.
  • Season with salt and toss again. Taste and adjust and add salt as needed.

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