Healthy Hacks For The Humble Silog Meals
Here’s how to make every Filipino’s beloved all-day breakfast or silog meals healthy
We all love and crave the humble silog dish. It’s a balanced meal made of ulam, fried rice, and egg, making it one of the most protein-packed ways to start the day. Although a lot of restaurants have all-day breakfasts, some of us may not want to drive out, order out, or want a healthier silog. So, for those having a constant craving for silog, here are some hacks to make it healthier:
Toasted garlic on top of rice
Instead of frying the rice, we can just sprinkle some toasted garlic on top. While some supermarkets sell toasted garlic in a bottle, we can make it at home. Just mince up some garlic, mix it with salt and pepper, then toast it with a healthy oil like olive oil or avocado oil until golden brown. Place on a paper towel to remove the oil before sprinkling it on top of the rice.
Poach the egg
Poached eggs are not just for Eggs Benedict or Masterchef recipes, they work well for silog too! The best part is, they’re quite easy to make. All we need is a frying pan. Fill the pan halfway with water, mix with one bottlecap full of vinegar, and then heat. Once it starts to lightly bubble, crack the egg from a low height into the pan. After that, get a spatula or a spoon and scoop the water on top of the egg until the yolk turns light pink and the whites are no longer gold.
Steam the rice with malunggay
Malunggay is so easy to find; it’s either available in supermarkets or in trees in the neighbor’s garden. What makes this vegetable such a flexible ingredient is that, unlike other vegetables, it’s okay to overcook it a little bit. While it’s often used in stews like the hearty Ginisang Monggo, that doesn’t mean we can’t use it in rice. The usual measurement is one cup of rice to one whole stalk of malunggay leaves.
And if we’re looking for a healthier version of sinangag, there’s also steaming the rice with diced garlic.
Air fry the meat
With cholesterol becoming a rising problem in the Philippines, it’s time to break out the trusty air fryer. And considering all the food content coming out on social media, it’s no surprise some of us truly believe that we can air fry everything. From bacon, chicken, longganisa, burger patties, meatloaf, and even sausages, the air fryer is one of the healthier alternatives instead of deep frying or frying things in oil.
Though it’s also understandable that using an air-fryer for a single serving can feel impractical. Some stores sell smaller ones, or line the bottom of the air fryer basket with wax paper to reduce the mess inside.
Use the meat’s fat to cook
What makes silog sometimes so unhealthy is that we fry it in more oil when most meat has its own. To prevent the meat from sticking to the pan, add a bit of water to boil the meat. Once the water starts to boil, it’ll evaporate, and the fat from the meat will melt into the pan to fry the meat. It’s how content creator Andy Hearnden (also known as Andy Cooks) makes perfectly crispy bacon.
Steam the meat (if possible)
Remember those hot dog stands the kids love so much? The truth is, these stands don’t even fry them! The hot dogs are left in the steamer all day, so anyone can get a fresh, piping hot dog sandwich or hot dog on a stick. And if the kids like it that way, it’s less work on our part, too! Just stick the hot dogs into the rice cooker with the rice and cook. We hit two birds with one stone!
Use brown rice instead!
This may be a pricier upgrade, but it’s worth investing in if it’s health-related. Brown rice has higher fiber, which means the family will feel fuller and have a lower tendency to over-eat. Some families, especially those who are diabetic, often eat brown rice or other low sugar rices like red rice and black rice instead.
So many ways to make the silog meal healthy!
The beloved silog meal has been a staple among Filipinos for ages. It was always a sign of love at home when breakfast was ready. While many had oatmeal, toast, and scrambled eggs, Filipino parents pulled on the stops at 5 AM to get a fresh breakfast going. Sure, it kind of meant that we would wake up to the sound of clattering pots and pans (if we’re light sleepers). But that didn’t mean we couldn’t feel the love every morning.
By making silog healthier, our families will have more energy for the day and we’ll have less waste (especially oil-based) to clean up too!
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