Single-serve Garlic Fried Rice recipe

I kept reading through my notes but I really can't find the original recipe I wrote for this, though I'm positive I wrote it down somewhere. So now I had to recreate it 3 times (hence the different color of garlic chips, and FYI, I prefer light golden) to get as close to the original as possible. But I honestly think there is something else missing or something needs to be changed, like instead of low sodium soy sauce maybe in the original I used Filipino soy sauce. Or maybe I added garlic powder in addition to garlic-pepper. Really can't remember. But no worries, this one is good, too. I just really wanted to find and share the original because I made it after we came back from our second vacation in the Philippines where my older sister cooked garlic fried rice for breakfast every morning and my husband said it was better than my sister's. And my sister is a very good cook!

It is almost a must to serve garlic fried rice with fried eggs, but even better if you serve it with some kind of a salty meat like spam, and garlic-vinegar dipping sauce. Now when I say fried eggs, I mean sunny side up, over easy, or over medium. That runny yolk is tasty mixed in with the rice!

I know it says single-serve but I actually shared this with my kid. So I guess it just depends on your appetite.

Printable Recipe

Single-serve Garlic Fried Rice

ingredients:
• 1 cup cooked day-old rice
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (or any neutral oil such as canola)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp garlic-pepper seasoning (McCormick Salt Free)
• 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 scallion, sliced for garnish

instructions:
1)  Mix rice with salt and garlic-pepper; set aside.
◘ tip: Use a silicone spatula.
2)  Add oil, butter, and garlic in an 8-inch cold skillet. Turn the heat on to low and fry garlic until golden, about 7 minutes, stirring often especially in the last 2 minutes of toasting. When golden, turn the heat off and let garlic cool for 1-2 minutes. This cooling period will also help rid most of the bubbles. Scoop garlic out into a small dish, leaving all the grease in the skillet; set garlic aside.
3)  Pour off 1 tbsp of grease into another small dish and set aside. This reserved grease is for frying eggs.
4)  Return skillet to stove and turn the heat on to medium-low. When skillet is hot, add rice, quickly toss it around to coat with the grease, and spread it in a single layer. Cook for 1 minute, undisturbed.
5)  Add most of the fried garlic, toss around and spread rice in a single layer again. Cook for 1 minute. Add soy sauce and toss around 30 seconds. Off the heat.
6)  Transfer fried rice to a plate, top with the remaining fried garlic and sprinkle with sliced scallions.
◘ tip: Serve with fried eggs with a runny yolk.