When it comes to food, the Philippines (The Pearl of the Orient) has an extraordinarily rich culture. Its cuisine is so diverse that it caters to all and every taste. Rice is the most widely consumed staple food for a large part of the worldโs population. Like other Asian countries, rice is the basic food of the Philippines. It is often steamed and served with fish, meat, and vegetable dishes. The leftover rice is fried with garlic and other spices to make Sinangag, which make a hearty breakfast, especially if fried eggs, dried fish, or sausages are added.
A Sinangag recipe, sometimes called garlic fried rice or rice Sinangag, is a Filipino fried rice dish that is cooked by stir-frying pre-cooked rice with garlic. The rice is usually leftover from yesterdayโs cooking. This simple fried rice Pinoy dish is also sometimes prepared with leftover oils and sauces from adobo. This type of recycled cooking is a good way of lessening food waste and, at the same time, enjoy a delicious meal.
Sinangag rice is a common breakfast in many Filipino households. It is not common to eat this alone, especially that it goes well with any other dish, whether it may be fried, stews, or soup. The favourites are Sinangag with fried salty dried fish, tapa or tapsilog, tocino, corned beef, and longanisa. In the Visayas region, Sinangag rice was traditionally seasoned with asin tibuok.
Easy to Make Sinangag Recipe
A wide pan with slanted sides works best for preparing rice Sinangag. It allows for easy distribution of ingredients without spills. Sinangag recipes usually involve garnishing loose rice grains with toasted garlic, black pepper, rock salt, and chopped scallions or spring onions. Compared to other dishes, Sinangag rice usually does not have other main ingredients aside from garlic so that the flavour of the main dish will not be overpowered.
Preparing Sinangag seems to be extremely easy, but precision is the key to make it perfect. Here is a detailed Sinangag recipe that you can follow for a tasty, simple fried rice Pinoy dish.
Ingredients (good for three servings)
3 cups cooked white leftover rice (Jasmine rice or any long-grained rice is preferred)
5 cloves crushed garlic
2 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Time Element
Preparation Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total time Spent: 25 minutes
Instructions
- Use leftover rice that is cold.
What makes leftover rice that is about a day old good for Sinangag making is that it has lesser moisture and firmer grains. This makes separating the rice easier, preventing it from becoming mushy when stir-fried. If leftover rice is not available, spread out freshly cooked rice in a thin layer of a baking sheet and place it in the refrigerator for a few hours to dry and cool.
- Add crash garlic and other spices to the rice.
After adding garlic, sprinkle salt or pepper all over the rice. Stir the ingredients gently to distribute the flavour. Continue cooking for three minutes.
- Make sure that you cook your garlic at low heat.
By cooking the garlic in low heat, you infuse the oil with flavour before browning. Once the garlic turns brown, set it on high heat before adding rice to hinder the grains from sticking to the surface, which gives the dish an excellent toasty savour.
- Choose a suitable kind of oil at just the right amount.
You want your Sinangag to have a soft shine but not excessively greasy as it will make the dish unpleasant. With this, select oils that have a neutral taste and high smoke points like peanut, grapeseed, canola, or corn oil.
- Placing extra crispy garlic and chopped green onion add-ons is a great addition to your Sinangag recipe.
If you are looking for additional flavour, you may add more spices to your Sinangag.
The Best Way to Serve Sinangag
After the fast and easy preparation of Sinangag, you are now ready to plate your entrรฉe. Sinangag is always best paired with dry meat such as bacon, sausage, cured meat, spam, chicken, fried pork chops, beef pares, or dried fish plus scrambled or fried eggs. A cool glass of lemonade or cucumber tea is also a great combination with a Sinangag meal.
Sinangag rice is just one of the amazing cuisines found in the Philippines. Though it is a simple fried rice Pinoy dish, its recipe is easy to follow, and many Filipinos and even tourists enjoy having rice Sinangag especially for breakfast. Of course, like any other dish, Sinangag rice is best enjoyed when you are with your loved ones. It can also be said that Sinangag rice is truly a reflection of the Philippines. The people in this country may be simple, but they have plenty to offer. If I were you, I would grab a plate of Sinangag rice and have a hearty meal right now!
What about you bayan, do you know how to make Sinangag? If so, let us know how you make your Sinangag by commenting below. What is so special about your simple fried rice Pinoy?

Please check out Barok and Takya Bisaya Podcast Episodes at their Podcast Slider Carousel if you like this content. For more of their Bisaya content, you can find their Bisaya Podcast topics on Podbean, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Radio.com. It would mean a lot to us if you could give us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or the Podcasts Apps of your choice so other Bisaya kababayan could find us easily on the Podcasting world, or you could refer us to your friends through word of mouth. Thank you, bayan, for your continued support to Barok and Takya Bisaya Podcast, the top Filipino Podcast in the Cebuano language. Letโs go back to our Culture roots by listening to and learning the Bisaya podcast of Barok and Takya.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
SUBSCRIBE to Barok and Takya Youtube Channel Bisaya Podcast โ https://www.youtube.com/c/bisayapodcast
Check out our Podcasts and Blogs:
The World’s Best Lechon Baboy (Blog)
11 Filipino Dishes: Pinoy Handaan Menu (Blog)
6 Best Sinigang Dishes You Can Make at Home (Blog)
11 Filipino Dishes for an Authentic Pinoy Fiesta
8 BestFilipino Pastimes of All Time
Barok and Takya Bisaya Podcast in Cebuano Language
10 Best Filipino Christmas Food to Prepare on Nochebuena
Why listen to a Bisaya Podcast
Top 15 Street Foods to Pair with Manong Fishball Sauce
Filipino Tears for the Power of Onion in the Philippines (Podcast)
FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA:
FACEBOOK โ https://www.facebook.com/barokntakya
INSTAGRAM โ https://www.instagram.com/bisayapodcast/
PINTEREST โ https://www.pinterest.com.au/bisayapodcast/
TWITTER โ https://twitter.com/bisayapodcast
LINKEDIN โ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bisayapodcast/
Lami Jud bayan pag naay sinangag na kan-on tapos Ang pariS bulad og etlog naa dayon caffe agoy tapos magkinamot dayon bayan,heheh๐๐๐.
Tinood gyud na bayan, lami jud ang pamahaw espesyal kung naay sinangag. Labi na e-partner ning sinangag rice sa itlog, hotdog, daing, karne or sa tapa. Lami kayo gyud ang kaon bayan, sabayan dayon sa mainit na kape barako. Solve na bayan ang atoa adlaw hehehe.