Hotdogs, Eggs and Fried Rice (Hotsilog), A Philippine Breakfast

Life happens and families grow. But as time flies, it slowly dissipates from our hold.  We get old and the clock just keeps on ticking. The kids become adults, the adults grow older and the older ones leave us.  Life keeps on continuing and time is our enemy because life, as we all know, is very short.   Let me explain why I am speaking about life when there's a breakfast plate to be explained. I just lost my 94-year old paternal grandmother and coincidentally, my other 94-year old maternal grandmother is in the hospital. 94 years is a whole lot of time to enjoy life and I am glad I to have known these two strong women in our family. 

Thinking of age gave me time to reflect on how far I have moved on with my own time too.  Forty years is a lot and still a lot to go I hope. I love closing my eyes and traveling back to my childhood when things were uncomplicated, simple and plain fun.  Fun even on the breakfast table.  I remember giving little squeals of delight when I see fried hotdogs, sunny side up eggs and fried rice on the table when I slowly make my way to the kitchen with half-open eyes.  Then a big dollop of banana ketchup (Yes, they exist!) completes the dish. In the Philippines, breakfasts are always salty and eaten with fried rice. 

Like most Philippine breakfasts, a plate is comprised of three different kinds of food.  Hot- (hotdog), -si- (sinangag or fried rice) and -log (itlog or egg).   See an old post called tapsilog, another variant with beef instead of hotdogs.  I haven't had this breakfast eversince I left the Philippines and when I saw the hotdogs in my fridge, thoughts of starting the day with something fried horrified the living daylights out of me but I was alone at home so there was no one to shoo me away from the frying pan.  To pacify my health-conscious side, I added some sauteed broccoli rabe which went so well with the whole meal.  Oh yes, that dark brown liquid is black coffee.  That breakfast had been fun! 

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Hotdogs, Eggs and Fried Rice (Hotsilog)

Ingredients:
Serves 2

• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 3 cups cooked rice (better if it has been cooked much ahead)
• salt
• 300 grams hotdogs
• 2 eggs
• ketchup 

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sauté the garlic.  When it turns golden, add the rice.  Cook until the rice is well-coated with oil.  Sprinkle with salt.  Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, fry the hotdogs until cooked through.  Set aside.
3. Take away the excess oil in the saucepan used for the hotdogs.  Wipe clean with a paper towel.  Pour some new oil in the saucepan.  When it's hot, fry the eggs. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Serve the rice, hotdogs and eggs together with ketchup.