Tocilog, marinated pork & garlic rice

📝 Ingredients

• 200 g pork fillet
• 25 g soft brown sugar + 1 tbsp soy sauce (for the marinade)
• 5 garlic cloves (1 for the marinade, 4 for the rice)
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 300 g cooked rice from the day before (about 100 g uncooked)
• 2 eggs
• 4 tsp sunflower oil (2 for the rice, 1 for the pork, 1 for the eggs)
• ½ cucumber (about 150 g)
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar + 1 tsp caster sugar
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large non-stick frying pan
• Mixing bowl
• Bowl
• Spatula
• Cutting board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Cut the pork tenderloin into 5 mm slices and flatten them with your palm. In a mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar, soy sauce, 1 grated garlic clove, paprika and a pinch of pepper. Coat the pork in it, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight.
2. Cut the cucumber into thin slices, salt them lightly and leave them to release their water for 10 minutes. Mix the rice vinegar and sugar until the sugar has dissolved, squeeze the cucumber between your hands to remove its water and pour the mixture over it.
3. Finely slice the remaining 4 garlic cloves. Fry them in the frying pan with 2 tsp oil over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until pale golden. Remove half for the garnish straight away: garlic that browns too much turns bitter.
4. Add the day-old rice to the pan, breaking up the clumps with a spatula. Stir-fry for 5 minutes over medium-high heat with a pinch of salt, until the grains are hot, well separated and lightly toasted. Divide between 2 plates and keep warm.
5. In the same pan, heat 1 tsp oil over medium heat. Drain the pork slices, keeping the marinade, and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until cooked through and caramelised at the edges. Lower the heat if the sugar starts to blacken.
6. Pour the reserved marinade into the pan and let it bubble for 1 minute, turning the pork to glaze it well: it must come to a proper boil to be cooked. Arrange the pork next to the rice.
7. Wipe out the pan, heat the last tsp of oil in it over medium heat and crack in the eggs. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still runny, then season with salt and pepper.
8. Place a fried egg on each portion of rice, sprinkle with the reserved golden garlic and serve immediately with the pickled cucumber, which balances the sweetness of the pork.