Tinapa Fried Rice

A simple, delicious Filipino dish combining the classic fried rice with smoked fish or tinapa.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Filipino

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 378kcal

Cost $4-$6

Over medium-high heat, add about 2 tablespoons of oil and toast the tinapa flakes until slightly crispy.
Sauté garlic and the white parts of the scallions until softened and fragrant. Push them to the sides of the pan to clear a space for the eggs.
Pour the scramble eggs into the center of the pan, adding more oil as needed. Stir them quickly until they're just set but still soft.
Add your day-old rice, spreading it out to break apart any clumps. Continuously toss and scramble the eggs.
Stir-fry with the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly heated, for about 3-5 minutes.
Season with salt, pepper, and a little soy sauce or fish sauce to taste. Mix well.
Add the green parts of the scallions and cilantro stems. Stir everything together until well combined.
Garnish with more scallions, cilantro leaves, and fried shallots. For extra crunch, crisp the bangus skin using an air fryer or pan, then cut it into bite-sized pieces to sprinkle over the rice. It's a delicious way to add texture and make sure nothing goes to waste.

Smoked fish: I used bangus tinapa. Debone and flake the fish into pieces; do not make them too tiny so they won't lose their texture in the dish. Save the bangus skin if you want to add a crispy texture. You can also use any tinapa you like or dried fish as a substitute.
Day-old rice: Ideally, you want to use rice that's been cooked and left to sit out for a day. It's less sticky and moist, which means it fries up really nicely without turning mushy. Medium or long-grain rice works best. If you only have fresh rice, just spread it out to cool and dry a bit before frying.