Garlic Fried Rice (20 Minutes!)

5 from 25 votes

Garlic Fried Rice (20 Minutes!)

This Garlic Fried Rice is SUPER fragrant with all of the fresh garlic and scallions. It's perfect as a side or with protein for a main course!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Hawaiian

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups long grain white rice (uncooked measurement) cooked and dried out uncovered in fridge for at least overnight
15 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp kosher salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp MSG optional
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 scallions chopped
3 tbsp neutral oil

Garnish

Instructions

In a large pan or wok, heat neutral oil over medium high heat and add chopped garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the garlic has turned golden brown and remove, leaving the garlic-infused oil in the pan.
Add scallions and sauté for 15-30 seconds until fragrant. Turn the heat to high, then add the day old long grain white rice and mix thoroughly until the grains are separated and relatively dry (about 3-4 minutes depending on the heat of your stove).
Season with kosher salt, white pepper, sugar, msg, and light soy sauce. Mix to combine.
Add back the reserved fried garlic and mix. Garnish with additional chopped scallions and fried garlic and enjoy!

Notes

Rice Tips - For fried rice cooked on a home stove, I always recommend using long grain white rice that has been dried out uncovered in the fridge for this recipe, due to the lower moisture content of the rice compared to short grain rice. Using leftover rice is ideal for this recipe. On home stoves, this will result in fried rice that isn't mushy! I recommend long grain varieties of rice such as Jasmine rice or Basmati rice.

Don't Burn the Garlic! - Garlic can cook and burn VERY quickly - if you've ever made or tasted a dish with burned garlic, you'll know that it has a very bitter, unpleasant taste. That's why I recommend:

Once you've cooked your garlic in the oil, remove it from your wok or pan

Strain your cooked garlic out of the oil and set aside

After your rice has been fried, add the garlic back in AT THE END and mix together

Avoid Crowding the Pan or Wok - Crowding can lead to your Garlic Fried Rice not cooking thoroughly and becoming mushy. If you think your dish will be crowded, use a larger pan, cast iron, or dutch oven, OR cook in batches.

Success is in the Prep! - Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag) only has a few ingredients and cooks VERY quickly - therefore, the key to successfully cooking a dish like this is having all of your ingredients already prepped and ready to go BEFORE you begin cooking. I like to have everything separated into it's each prep bowl, and I also like to have all of my tools and plates/bowls near me, as well.

Storage - Store any leftover Garlic Fried Rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat until warmed through in the microwave.

Nutrition