Filipino Sinangag (Garlic Fried Rice) with Pork

About This Recipe

Sinangag is the garlic fried rice that shows up on almost every Filipino breakfast table, usually next to a fried egg and cured meat, but it works just as well as a fast weeknight dinner when you add pork. The trick is using rice that has sat in the fridge overnight so the grains have dried out slightly; fresh rice turns gummy the moment it hits hot oil, while day-old rice fries into separate, golden grains that soak up garlic without clumping. Here seared pork shoulder joins the garlic rice, giving it enough protein and richness to serve as a full dinner rather than a side. The pan needs to stay hot and the garlic needs to be fried until deep gold, almost but not quite burnt, because that toasted garlic flavor is what makes sinangag recognizable. A finish of calamansi or lime juice and sliced scallions cuts through the richness right before serving. This version keeps the technique Filipino home cooks actually use, garlic oil built first, protein seared hard, rice added last and tossed constantly, rather than treating it as a generic stir-fry.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 cupsday-old cooked jasmine rice(cold, grains separated)
• 350 gpork shoulder(thinly sliced)
• 8 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 4 tbspvegetable oil(divided)
• 2 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 tspfish sauce
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 3scallions(sliced)
• 2 tbspcalamansi or lime juice
• 1 tspfine sea salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Sear the pork

   Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat. Sear pork shoulder slices until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

   Don't crowd the pan or the pork will steam instead of brown.

2. 2

   Fry the garlic

   Add remaining oil to the wok and fry garlic over medium heat, stirring constantly, until deep golden, about 2 minutes. Remove half the garlic for garnish.

3. 3

   Fry the rice

   Raise heat to high, add cold rice, and break up clumps with a spatula. Toss constantly for 4-5 minutes until every grain is coated in garlic oil and lightly crisped.

4. 4

   Season and combine

   Add soy sauce, fish sauce, black pepper and salt. Return the pork to the wok and toss until evenly distributed and heated through, about 2 minutes.

5. 5

   Finish

   Off heat, stir in scallions and calamansi juice. Top with the reserved fried garlic and serve immediately while the rice is still crackling.

Variations

• •

  Swap pork for leftover fried chicken (tocino-style) or diced Spam for a classic silog-plate approach.

• •

  Add a fried egg on top and call it tapsilog-style for breakfast-for-dinner.

• •

  Vegetarian version: use fried tofu cubes and add a spoon of toasted sesame oil for richness.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat in a hot wok or skillet with a teaspoon of oil to re-crisp; microwaving will make it soggy.

Frequently Asked Questions