Filipino Silog Breakfast: The Complete Guide

The Classic Silog Lineup

Tapsilog

The original and still the most popular. Tapsilog pairs beef tapa - thin slices of beef cured in soy sauce, garlic, and sugar - with the standard sinangag and itlog. The meat should be slightly sweet, slightly salty, with caramelized edges from the pan. It's the silog that started everything, and most Filipinos would pick it if they could only have one.

Longsilog

Longganisa is a Filipino sausage, and it comes in wildly different styles depending on the province. Vigan longganisa is garlicky and sour. Lucban longganisa is hard, dry, and punchy with oregano. Pampanga's version is sweet. Whichever kind you use, fry it until the casing splits and the fat renders out, then cook your rice in that same pan. The flavor transfer is the whole point.

Tocilog

Tocino is pork cured in sugar and annatto, giving it a bright red color and a candy-like sweetness that sounds strange until you actually eat it with the garlicky rice and a salty fried egg. The contrast works. Tocilog is the silog for people with a sweet tooth, and kids tend to gravitate toward it first.

Bangsilog

Bangus (milkfish) is the national fish of the Philippines, and bangsilog puts it front and center. The bangus is butterflied, deboned, and fried until the skin crackles and the flesh turns golden. Dip it in spiced vinegar between bites of garlic rice. If you grew up near the coast, this was probably your silog before you ever tried tapa.

Cornsilog

Yes, corned beef - the canned kind. Filipinos have zero shame about this, and honestly, it works. Sauteed with onions and garlic until the edges get crispy, canned corned beef transforms into something genuinely satisfying. Cornsilog is the budget silog, the college student's breakfast, the "nothing else in the pantry" meal that somehow hits every time.

Hotsilog

Sliced hotdogs, fried with a bit of oil until the skin tightens and the edges char. That's it. Hotsilog is proof that silog isn't about fancy ingredients - it's about the combination. The garlic rice and egg do the heavy lifting, and the hotdog just needs to show up. It's the cheapest silog on any menu, and probably the most honest.

Spamsilog

Filipinos have a deep, genuine love for Spam that confuses most of the world. Thick slices, pan-fried until golden-brown and slightly crispy on the outside. Spam's saltiness pairs perfectly with the garlic rice, and the runny egg yolk mellows the whole thing out. It's comfort food that doesn't pretend to be anything else.

Chicksilog

Fried chicken - usually a drumstick or thigh - served with the sinangag-itlog duo. Some places marinate the chicken overnight in soy and calamansi before frying, which gives it a deeper flavor than plain fried chicken. Chicksilog tends to be the most filling option on the menu, and it's the one you order when you know lunch is going to be late.

The Three Essentials

Every silog has three non-negotiable components. Get these right and the protein almost doesn't matter.

Sinangag (Garlic Fried Rice): The secret isn't fresh rice - it's day-old rice, cold from the fridge, with the grains dried out and separated. Fry minced garlic in oil until golden, toss in the cold rice, and keep it moving in the wok for 3-4 minutes. The individual grains should be coated in garlic oil, slightly crispy at the edges, and fragrant enough to fill the kitchen. Fresh rice turns to mush in the pan. Don't use it. For a deeper dive into getting your rice right, check our rice cooking guide.

Itlog (Fried Egg): Sunny side up, runny yolk. This isn't optional. The yolk acts as a built-in sauce - you break it open, let it run into the rice and over the meat, and suddenly everything on the plate is connected. Cook it in the same oil you used for the protein so it picks up extra flavor. Keep the heat low so the white sets without the yolk firming up.

The Protein: Whatever meat, fish, or processed food gives the silog its name. The protein sets the character of each silog, but the sinangag and itlog are what make it a silog and not just a plate of meat with rice.

Making Silog at Home

Silog is one of the easiest Filipino meals to pull off in a home kitchen. A few things to keep in mind:

• Cook your rice the night before. Spread it on a plate and refrigerate uncovered. By morning, the grains will be dry, firm, and perfect for frying. Freshly cooked rice doesn't fry - it clumps and steams.
• Use one pan for everything. Fry your protein first, set it aside, then cook the egg in the same fat. The residual flavor from the meat seasons the egg without any extra effort.
• Don't skip the sawsawan. A small dish of vinegar with crushed garlic and sliced chili on the side is essential. The acid cuts through the richness of the fried egg and meat. It's the balance that keeps you eating without feeling heavy.
• If you've got a sizzling plate, use it. Nothing makes silog look or sound better than hearing it pop on a hot cast iron plate. Heat the plate empty in the oven, then assemble everything on it right before serving.

For a full Filipino breakfast spread, pair your silog with hot coffee - ideally barako if you can find it - and a small bowl of achara (pickled green papaya) on the side.