Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Filipino Pork Tocino Silog
菲律賓甜醃豬肉早餐飯
Recipe overview
This home-style version preserves the dish's defining character in a Hong Kong kitchen.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 600 g, thinly sliced pork shoulder
- 800 g, chilled cooked white rice
- 4 eggs
- 6 cloves, minced garlic
Pork marinade
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 120 ml water (for cooking the tocino)
02
Tools
- household hob
- two frying pans
- raw-meat tongs
- cooked-food tongs
- rice paddle
- food thermometer
- chef's knife
- raw-meat cutting board
- large and small bowls
- measuring spoons and jug
- clean plate
- four serving plates
03
Steps
Step 1
Slice the pork
Slice the pork shoulder across the grain into 5 mm pieces and place in a large bowl; wash the raw-meat knife and board immediately.
Step 2
Mix the tocino marinade
Mix 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon paprika in a small bowl until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
Step 3
Refrigerate the pork
Pour the marinade over the pork, mix well, seal and refrigerate for 4 hours; do not marinate at room temperature.
Step 4
Prepare the garlic-rice items
Bring the pork out for 10 minutes; mince the 6 garlic cloves, loosen the 800 g cold rice with a rice paddle and keep the eggs separate.
Step 5
Cook the tocino covered
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat; lay in the pork, add its marinade and 120 ml water, cover and cook for 6 minutes.
Step 6
Caramelise and cook through
Uncover, turn every pork slice and cook for 6–8 minutes until the liquid evaporates, both sides caramelise and the centre reaches 75°C.
Step 7
Rest the tocino
Transfer the tocino to a clean plate and rest for 3 minutes; wipe burnt sugar residue from the pan.
Step 8
Fry the garlic
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the clean pan over medium heat and fry the minced garlic for 1–2 minutes until pale golden.
Step 9
Stir-fry the garlic rice
Add the 800 g cold rice, break it up with a rice paddle and stir-fry for 5 minutes until every grain is piping hot and coated with garlic oil.
Step 10
Fry the eggs
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a second frying pan; fry the 4 eggs for 3–4 minutes each and confirm each egg centre reaches at least 75°C with the food thermometer.
Step 11
Portion four plates
Put 1/4 of the garlic rice, tocino and 1 fried egg on each of four serving plates; use raw-meat tongs only for raw pork and cooked-food tongs only for cooked tocino.
Step 12
Serve hot
Check the pork, rice and eggs are still hot and serve the four tocino silog portions immediately.
Common mistakes
- Uneven pieces cook at different rates.
- Excess heat burns food before the centre is done.
- Shared raw and cooked utensils risk contamination.
- Seasoning before tasting can make food too salty.
Tips
Measure first; judge by colour, texture and safe centre doneness.
