Sinangag

April 19: National Garlic Day

There’s nothing like the awakening aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee garlic fried rice! In the Philippines, cooking sinangag (Filipino garlic fried rice) is a resourceful and delicious way to use up leftover rice from the night before. This dish is typically accompanied with itlog (eggs sunny-side up) to add color—and optimism—to a plate for a good morning meal. Add a variety of meats [such as longganisa (sausage), tocino (sweet pork) or tapa (cured beef)] or bangus (fried milkfish), and serve with tropical fruits or juices, and this hearty first meal of the day becomes the breakfast of champions!

Recipe

(Adapted from WikiPilipinas)

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons of onions, diced
• ½ tablespoon of soy sauce (optional)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Mix the cooked rice in a bowl to loosen the sticky grains. Heat the oil in a pan, then lightly sauté the garlic and onions. Add the rice and mix well. Season to taste with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Garnish with slivers of fried garlic.

Notes

• Thanks to our Ninang Rosario C., for her hospitality when we visited the Philippines and for making us feel like champions when she fed us a generous breakfast spread, which included sinangag, before a busload of family and friends went to tour the towns of Bataan, Metro Manila, San Pablo and Tagaytay.
• With a strong Asian cultural influence on Hawaii, fried rice has become a morning meal option in many households and even at some restaurants. See our Spam fried rice blog recipe post for a similar breakfast, lunch or dinner dish.