Microwave spamsilog (Spam, garlic rice and eggs)
The Filipino breakfast-for-dinner plate of Spam, crispy-garlic rice and eggs with a peppery vinegar dip, made without a single pan for under two and a half dollars.
- 15 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 1
- About $2.48 a serving
- 660 calories
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 1 servings.
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup microwave rice pouches, half an 8.8 oz pouch
- 2 oz spam, 2 thick slices
- 2 large eggs
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a little for the bowl
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Each serving has about 660 calories, 25 g protein, 47 g carbs and 41 g fat, and costs about $2.48 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Press each garlic clove flat under the bottom of a mug, pull off the skin, and tear the garlic into small bits.
Dolly’s tip: Pressing with a mug cracks the clove open so the papery skin slips right off. No knife needed.Microwave the garlic and oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts, 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic turns pale .
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Garlic goes from golden to burnt in seconds, and burnt garlic is bitter. Pull it at pale gold; it darkens as it sits.Heat the rice in its pouch as the package says, usually 90 seconds, then half of it into the garlic oil with the salt.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Timer: 1 min 30 sec
Cut two thick slices of Spam by pressing the side of the fork through the block, and lay them on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Microwave the Spam 1½ minutes, until sizzling and the edges firm up.
Timer: 1 min 30 sec
Food safety: Rotisserie chicken, deli meat, canned tuna and cooked shrimp are already cooked. Keep them cold until you use them, and heat them until steaming hot if the recipe warms them.
Crack the eggs into a lightly oiled mug, prick each yolk with the fork, cover with a plate, and microwave at 50% power for 1½ to 2 minutes, until the whites are set.
Timer: 1 min 45 sec
Dolly’s tip: Always prick a yolk before it goes in the microwave. Steam builds inside and an unpricked yolk can pop.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Stir the vinegar with the black pepper and red pepper flakes in a small cup for dipping.
Pile the garlic rice on a plate with the Spam and eggs, and dip each bite in the vinegar.
Dolly’s tip: Silog is short for sinangag (garlic rice) and itlog (egg). Swap the Spam for any leftover meat.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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