Sinangag: 10-Minute Garlic Fried Rice

Garlic fried rice is a short, 10-minute side dish packed with savory flavor. Fresh garlic is fried to a golden crisp, infusing the rice with a savory garlicky aroma. Ideal for using up leftover rice!

Garlic is often a supporting ingredient in many dishes, but when it takes center stage, the results can be memorable. Filipino garlic fried rice, or sinangag, is one of a keeper examples.

We learned how to make Filipino garlic fried rice from a lovely Filipino lady who helps us around the house. She shared her recipe with us verbally—it’s that straightforward. With just a few basic ingredients, you don’t need anything written down. This is a no-brainer recipe that anyone can whip up.

The combination of rice and garlic doesn’t get any better than with this direct recipe: just chop up a bunch of fresh garlic cloves, fry it in oil to golden crisp, and toss it with day-old leftover rice. This 3-ingredient fried rice is unfussy, but the result is so good!

In the Philippines, sinangag often has scrambled eggs mixed in for breakfast. You can check out our egg fried rice recipe to see how we do it. Or simply top the rice with a fried egg—that’s what we usually do, just like our Korean egg rice breakfast.

For another fast rice dinner, try this 20-minute salmon fried rice with egg, cabbage, and tsuyu.

This garlicky rice is so savory, we don’t even mind the garlic breath in the morning! We especially love it as a side dish with Filipino chicken adobo.

One important tip: always use day-old leftover rice. Freshly cooked rice is too moist and will turn mushy when fried. You want the rice to be chewy and have a good bite.

Watch our recipe video and see how direct it is to make this unfussy fried rice in just 10 minutes!

How the dish comes together

Chop the garlic and add it to oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Stir-fry until golden brown, making sure it doesn’t burn. If desired, set aside a bit of the fried garlic for garnish.

Add the rice and stir-fry for a few minutes, breaking up clumps. Toss in the green onion, season with salt and pepper, and stir until heated through. Transfer to a serving dish, top with more green onion and reserved fried garlic. Serve hot.

Tips for the Best Garlic Fried Rice

1. Use Day-Old Rice: Freshly cooked rice is too moist and won’t give you that chewy texture you want. For a keeper results, store leftover rice in the fridge for at least 2 days to reduce moisture.
2. Garlic choice: Fresh garlic is best, but jarred minced garlic works too. Adjust the amount to your taste—more if you love garlic, less if you prefer a milder flavor.
3. Don’t Burn the Garlic: Stir-fry the garlic until it’s golden brown. If the garlic browns too quickly, lower the heat. The goal is to infuse the oil with garlic flavor and get it crispy. Burnt garlic can taste bitter.
   • We usually set aside a tablespoon for garnish—we love the crispy texture it adds.
4. Use Enough Oil: Make sure to use enough oil to fry the garlic to a golden color and to coat each grain of rice. This helps achieve that ideal chewy texture.
   • Use any neutral, high-heat cooking oil like vegetable, peanut, or grapeseed oil.
5. Seasoning Choices: We used only salt to keep the fried rice white in this recipe. For a deeper umami flavor, try adding 1-2 teaspoons of fish sauce or light soy sauce. You can also sprinkle a little MSG for an extra flavor boost.

• Yield: 4 people
• Prep: 4 minutes
• Cook: 6 minutes
• Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tbsp oil
• 4 cups day-old cooked rice, long grain preferred
• 4 tbsp chopped green onion
• pinches salt and pepper to taste, see note below

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped garlic and stir-fry until it turns golden brown, being careful not to burn it. If desired, set aside a small amount of fried garlic for garnish.
2. Add the rice and stir-fry for a few minutes, breaking up any clumps to separate the grains.
3. Add the green onion and continue stirring. Season with salt and pepper, and stir until everything is heated through and well combined.
4. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with more green onion and the reserved fried garlic on top. Serve hot.

Notes

We used only salt to keep the fried rice white in this recipe. For a deeper umami flavor, try adding 1-2 teaspoons of fish sauce or light soy sauce. You can also sprinkle a little MSG for an extra flavor boost.