Make This Garlicky Fried Rice In Just 10 Minutes

It takes just a few simple ingredients to make this iconic Filipino dish.

By
Elizabeth Ann Quirino
Elizabeth Ann Quirino
Elizabeth Ann Quirino
Elizabeth Ann Quirino, Filipino American cookbook author, is a multi-awarded winner of the Plaridel Writing Awards for best in journalism.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Published September 08, 2023
Elizabeth Ann Quirino
Bowl of Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag na Kanin) next to some utensils, a plate of sliced longanisa (filipino sausage) and sliced tomatoes

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Garlic fried rice, also known as sinangag, always has a spot on the Filipino table, from the city to the countryside. It’s popular at breakfasttime but can be served alongside any meal. It’s also quick, easy, and a great way to use up leftover rice.

“The aroma of garlic in sinangag can wake up anyone,” said my son Tim. He has often awoken to my brunch of garlic fried rice in our New Jersey kitchen. I like to pair it with eggs, tomatoes, and homemade tocino (cured pork), beef tapa, or longanisa.

What Is Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag na Kanin)?

Garlic fried rice (or sinangag na kanin to Filipinos) is stir-fried rice cooked in hot oil and garlic. The term sinangag comes from the Tagalog word sangag, which refers to dry roasting or toasting in the skillet. 

The customary breakfast staple of rice goes back centuries to when our forefathers in the Philippines needed heavy sustenance to start the day’s work at the farm. My mother cooked garlic rice all the time and called it “morisqueta tostada,” another term for sinangag from her Ilonggo roots in the Visayan region. 

Bowl of Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag na Kanin) next to some utensils and plates with sides

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

A Quick and Easy Dish

To Filipinos, garlic fried rice is the ultimate comfort food, whether paired with eggs, meats, fish, vegetables, or even fruit. 

Garlic fried rice is one of the easiest, fastest rice dishes to make with a short list of ingredients. It can be paired with a wide variety of dishes and it’s easy to add your own spin on the classic recipe.

Use Leftover Rice

Cooking sinangag na kanin is an ideal way to repurpose leftover white rice. Filipino garlic fried rice uses long-grain, cooked white rice that’s been refrigerated for 1 to 2 days. Long grains do not stick together as much as short-grained rice does. I don’t recommend using newly cooked rice for this recipe, since it contains too much moisture to transform into fried rice.

If you’ve got a few cloves of garlic, oil, and salt, then you’re all set to quickly cook heaping servings of garlic fried rice.

How to Serve

Garlic fried rice is easy to pair with a wide range of dishes. I like to serve it alongside Filipino mains like beef tapa, pork tocino, and longanisas (sausages) as well as sides like fresh sliced tomatoes and fried or scrambled eggs.

Garlic fried rice is also delicious alongside a long list of meaty mains, vegetables, and more.

Plate of Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag na Kanin) with sunny side eggs and sliced tomatoes, and in the surroundings, another plate with another serving of rice and eggs and a plate of longanisa (Filipino sausage)

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

Fun with Fried Rice

Garlic Fried Rice

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 6 mins
Total Time 11 mins
Servings 2 to 4 servings

A non-stick pan makes for easier clean up, but it’s not required.

If you’re using leftover rice that was seasoned with salt, reduce the salt in the recipe accordingly.

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 cups cooked long grain white rice, 1 to 2 days old, refrigerated

  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 4 large cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

  • 1 thinly sliced green onion or a handful of chives, optional, for garnish

Method

  1. Prepare the rice:

    Add the cooked, cold rice to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to fluff the grains to break apart and loosen them up.

    Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt all over the rice. Mix well with a spoon and set aside.

    Hands fluffing a bowl of cold rice for Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag na Kanin) recipe

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
    Bowl of salt-seasoned rice with a spoon for Filipino Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag na Kanin) recipe

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
  2. Stir fry:

    Place a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until crisp and light golden brown but not burnt. 

    Add the rice. Using a spatula or cooking spoon, stir thoroughly to mix the garlic and oil into the grains. This should take about 2 minutes.

    Simple Tip!

    Lower the heat to medium if the skillet gets too hot. You’ll know it's too hot if the rice is sticking to the pan—you do not want the rice to burn.

    Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the white pepper all over the rice. 

    Stir the rice well for seasonings to blend, about 1 to 2 minutes.

    Minced garlic frying in a wok while stirred using a wooden spatula for Garlic Fried Rice recipe

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
    Rice added to wok with minced garlic for Sinangag na Kanin (Garlic Fried Rice) recipe

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
    Wooden spatula stirring the garlic rice in the wok as it fries

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
  3. Serve:

    Garnish with green onion or chives, if desired. Serve warm as an accompaniment to breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

    Keep leftover garlic fried rice in a covered container, refrigerated. It will last for up to 2 days. Sinangag na kanin does not freeze well as it tends to get soggy.

    Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!

    Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag na Kanin) topped with sliced green onions in the wok

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
    Plate of Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag na Kanin) with sunny side eggs and sliced tomatoes, and in the surroundings, another plate with another serving of rice and eggs and a plate of longanisa (Filipino sausage)

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
270 Calories
7g Fat
46g Carbs
4g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 270
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 531mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 46g 17%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 1mg 5%
Calcium 22mg 2%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 68mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.