SPAM Musubi

For those of you who have never lived Hawaii… allow me to enlighten you for a moment. When I lived in Hawaii I had SPAM all the time. I had it for breakfast with eggs and rice. I had it for dinner with noodles and rice. And for lunch… I had it just like this.. as Musubi. You can buy Spam Musubi in Hawaii at any grocery store or gas station (I would always get it at the Chevron by our house or on campus). Sometimes you can find it with some fried egg between the SPAM and rice… this way is VERY good too and makes for a good, quick breakfast. Either way, It’s a great way to get your protien and carbs without using a plate or getting your hands dirty. Plus, it’s tasty! VERY tasty! And cheap! This would ALWAYS hit the spot when I needed a quick lunch or snack.

I know you are skeptical, I was too… until I tried it. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of SPAM, this is worth a try (I was totally grossed out by SPAM until I lived in Hawaii)! I made it for some of my family members last week and they all were pleasantly surprised about how good it was. Don’t knock it til you try it!

First of all, you will need to make (or buy) a Musubi mold. I didn’t want to fork out $10-$15 bucks to have one sent to me from Hawaii so I made my own… you will need to get a mini SPAM can (you will need SPAM anyway to make the Musubi– if you use the full size can, cut it down to about half the original height), clean it out well with soap and water, CAREFULLY cut off the bottom with a utility knife or an exact-o knife, then cover the sharp edges with electrical tape or duct tape (make sure the tape you use it NON-lead based). Here is the one that I made.. nothing fancy but it gets the job done!

Now here is how you make it:

1 can SPAM (regular size, or 2 mini)
1/4 c. oyster sauce
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. sugar
Nori (roasted seaweed used for sushi), cut into halves or thirds (I cut it into thirds to make it go further)
5-6 cups cooked sushi rice (WITHOUT the vinegar mixture added) –Click HERE for the Sushi Rice Recipe

Slice the SPAM into about 8-10 slices (depending on how thick you like it) and put in a Ziploc bag. Mix together oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar until sugar is dissolved and add to the bag with the SPAM. Marinate for about 15 minutes. Drain off marinade and fry SPAM on each side over medium heat until slightly crispy or until desired doneness. (Some people like to glaze the SPAM with the marinade/sauce AFTER frying.. either way tastes great!) Place a strip of nori on a cutting board or clean surface (shiny side down). Place your Musubi mold across the middle of the nori (so if you folded up the sides of the nori, it would wrap around the middle of the can… like how it shows in the picture).

Add rice to the mold, pressing down firmly and evenly, so there is about 1-1 1/2 inches of rice (if the rice starts to stick to the mold too much, dip it in water. You will notice you will have to dip your fingers in water quite a bit because the rice is so sticky. I usually just keep a bowl of water right next to where I am working.) Next, remove the mold from the rice. Now you will have a nice little block of rice right on the nori. Add some of the cooked spam to the top. Wrap up one side of the nori and stick it to the top of the SPAM, then wrap up the other side. Just like you are wrapping a nice little package. Use a little water on your finger to seal if needed. Serve warm. Some like it dipped in soy sauce, some like it with ketchup… some like it as is. You will just have to try it all the different ways and decide for yourself which way you like it best.

***If you are making a lot and saving it. Wrap individually in some plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. When you are ready to eat it, unwrap and place in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.