Here’s a twist on the classic Filipino Fried Garlic Rice or Sinangag – Chili Oil Sinangag! I love chili oil and spice so I wanted to use my homemade chili oil as a base for my garlic rice. This pairs well with your ulam or viand of choice, but you can also enjoy this as-is or mix in vegetables or protein of your choice.
WHAT IS SINANGAG OR FILIPINO FRIED GARLIC RICE?
Fried Garlic rice, or Sinangag as we call it in Filipino, is one of the most common rice dishes you will find in Filipino restaurants and in Filipino households.
We Filipinos love rice with our meals so there’s definitely no denying that because a lot of Filipino dishes are cooked down in delicious, savoury sauces that you’ll want to scoop over some rice. This fried garlic rice uses leftover rice so it’s a go-to here at home and we love cooking sinangag whenever we have leftover rice from the day before.
It’s super easy and requires super basic ingredients.
This sinangag has a little twist from the chili oil, that gives it this light orange hue and also adds a nice spice and extra aroma to the rice.
WHAT CAN I ENJOY WITH SINANGAG OR GARLIC RICE?
Personally, I love mine with ulam or viand. In Filipino cuisine we have everything with rice — so think meat dishes, stews, fried foods, and even noodles with rice.
I had this with some of my vegan sisig, a very popular Filipino dish that I made vegan with tofu and mushrooms. You can find my vegan sisig recipe here.
OTHER FILIPINO DISHES YOU CAN ENJOY WITH FRIED GARLIC RICE:
- Adobo
- Tokwa’t Baboy
- Filipino Kaldereta or ‘Meat’ Stew
- Mushroom Tocino
- Lumpiang Gulay or Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls
- Filipino “Pork” Barbecue
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS FRIED GARLIC RICE:
- 2 cups white rice or grain of choice cooked and cooled—leftover is best!
- 1-2 tbsp homemade chili oil or garlic chili oil with some sediment (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste if needed
- 1 head garlic , peeled and minced or roughly chopped
You can also find the full recipe in the recipe card below.
HOMEMADE CHILI OIL
I always have a bottle of chili oil in my kitchen since it’s great in so many dishes, sauces, stir-fries, and more! You can find my homemade chili oil recipe here.
You can adjust the chili oil depending on your desired heat. I added 2 tbsp because my homemade chili oil is very mild in spice. You can start with 1 tbsp chili oil and just additional neutral oil to cook the garlic.
If you have chili oil with garlic sediments, that’d be good to sauté along with the fresh garlic for more aroma and flavour.
WHAT’S THE BEST RICE FOR FRIED RICE?
I find that the best is to use leftover rice (much like other fried rice recipes) since the excess moisture from the rice has evaporated and the grains are easily separated and aren’t mushy. I also prefer to use white rice but other types of rice work well too–it’s really up to your preference.
PREPARE YOUR LEFTOVER RICE
- Break apart any large chunks of your leftover rice. I use rice from the previous day that’s been refrigerated so a lot of moisture has evaporated.
COOKING THE CHILI OIL FRIED GARLIC RICE
- Heat a large wok or non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in the chili oil. Add in the salt and mix into the oil. Keep an eye out on the chili oil sediments since these can burn quickly.
- Add in the garlic and cook over medium heat until golden brown or cooked to your liking. If desired, you can mix in other vegetables or protein of choice to mix into this fried rice.
- Add in the leftover cooked and cooled rice, and break apart any chunks, if there are any. Mix the rice into the oil and garlic and leave to cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Feel free to season with more salt and chili oil, to taste, if you’d like.
🍚 SERVE AND ENJOY YOUR RICE
- Turn off the heat. I like to stuff some of my rice to a bowl so I can flip it over to create a dome shape. I topped mine with some chopped cilantro.
- Enjoy with your favourite ulam (viand)! I love having mine with Tofu Sisig, Adobo, and Mushroom Tocino.
MORE FILIPINO RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:
- Tofu and Mushroom Salpicao
- Bola-Bola (Filipino Meatballs)
- Lumpiang Shanghai
- Ensaladang Talong (Filipino Style Eggplant Salad)
Chili Oil Sinangag (Fried Garlic Rice)
Ingredients
- 2 cups white rice or grain of choice cooked and cooled—leftover is best!
- 1-2 tbsp homemade chili oil or garlic chili oil with some sediment (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste if needed
- 1 head garlic , peeled and minced or roughly chopped
For garnish, optional
- Fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Break apart any large chunks of your leftover rice. I use rice from the previous day that’s been refrigerated so a lot of moisture has evaporated.
- Heat a large wok or non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in the chili oil. Add in the salt and mix into the oil. Keep an eye out on the chili oil sediments since these can burn quickly.
- Add in the garlic and cook over medium heat until golden brown or cooked to your liking. If desired, you can mix in other vegetables or protein of choice to mix into this fried rice.
- Add in the leftover cooked and cooled rice, and break apart any chunks, if there are any. Mix the rice into the oil and garlic and leave to cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Feel free to season with more salt and chili oil, to taste, if you’d like.
- Turn off the heat. I like to stuff some of my rice to a bowl so I can flip it over to create a dome shape. I topped mine with some chopped cilantro.
- Enjoy with your favourite ulam (viand)! I love having mine with Tofu Sisig, Adobo, and Mushroom Tocino.
Notes
CHILI OIL
- You can adjust the chili oil depending on your desired heat. I added 2 tbsp because my homemade chili oil is very mild in spice. You can start with 1 tbsp chili oil and just additional neutral oil to cook the garlic.
- If you have chili oil with garlic sediments, that’d be good to sauté along with the fresh garlic for more aroma and flavour.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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This Post Has 4 Comments
I just made the garlic chili oil and added it to my favorite kind of rice and it’s sooo good! I’m eating the rice with veggies mixed in as well as silken tofu that is bathing into the same garlic chili oil. Perfect combination!
I got three of your recipes in the same meal 😉
Thanks so much Mika! Great use of that chili oil 👌🏻
Great – will be a regular
Thanks so much Christopher! Glad you liked it! ◡̈