A few years ago, I stopped by a local banh mi place and bought Spam musubi on a whim. It was easily the best thing I've ever eaten, and I set out to learn how to make it myself. The restaurant is long gone now, but the Spam musubi will live forever. This recipe calls for some unlikely ingredients, each of which contributes to the final umami-rich product.
What's so special about sushi rice? It's very short grained, low starch, and sticks together well. For the real deal, rinse it, swirling it with your hand under running cold water, until the water runs clear. Then, once it's cooked, season it with a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Click here to buy some.
Nori is thin roasted seaweed that sushi is wrapped in. I usually find it at Walmart, but click here to buy online.
This also calls for furikake, a type of rice seasoning with seaweed and other flavors. There are a number of varieties available, like wasabi, and you can pick the one you want - but I use the basic sesame one that you can find at this link.
Also, I'm no hero: I use this musubi press. For about $5, your hands will thank you, and you'll master a solid musubi.
For the rice:
Make the sushi rice: Take 1 1/2 c dry sushi rice, add it to a large sieve and put the whole thing in a large bowl of water. Swirl the rice with your hand to take off the excess starch - this is how you make sure it sticks together when it's done - and when the water you use to rinse it runs clear, it's ready to cook!
Add the rice to a rice cooker with 2 1/4 c cold water, and let sit without turning it on for 30 minutes. Turn on the rice cooker and let it roll. No rice cooker? A pot will work. Use my plain rice method, starting after soaking the rice with the boiling step.
Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and stir well. Microwave about 30 seconds, then stir more, to make sure the ingredients are combined. Dump the finished rice onto a large, shallow bowl, and spread it out using a wooden spoon. Pour the vinegar mixture on it evenly and stir gently but fully, with a non-metal spatula or wooden spoon. Then spread the rice out evenly again so it will cool down quickly. (At this point, you can refrigerate the rice until you're ready to assemble the musubi.)
Prepare the Spam: Remove the Spam from the can and slice the long way into 8 pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and mix together the water, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl.
For the rice:
- 1 1/2 c dry sushi rice
- 2 1/4 c cold water
- 1 Tbs rice vinegar
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
For the musubi:
- 1 - 12 oz can of Spam
- 1/4 c water
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbs brown sugar
- 1/2 c furikake rice seasoning
- 2 sheets nori (seaweed sheets)
Make the sushi rice: Take 1 1/2 c dry sushi rice, add it to a large sieve and put the whole thing in a large bowl of water. Swirl the rice with your hand to take off the excess starch - this is how you make sure it sticks together when it's done - and when the water you use to rinse it runs clear, it's ready to cook!
Add the rice to a rice cooker with 2 1/4 c cold water, and let sit without turning it on for 30 minutes. Turn on the rice cooker and let it roll. No rice cooker? A pot will work. Use my plain rice method, starting after soaking the rice with the boiling step.
Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and stir well. Microwave about 30 seconds, then stir more, to make sure the ingredients are combined. Dump the finished rice onto a large, shallow bowl, and spread it out using a wooden spoon. Pour the vinegar mixture on it evenly and stir gently but fully, with a non-metal spatula or wooden spoon. Then spread the rice out evenly again so it will cool down quickly. (At this point, you can refrigerate the rice until you're ready to assemble the musubi.)
Prepare the Spam: Remove the Spam from the can and slice the long way into 8 pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and mix together the water, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl.
Add the Spam to the skillet, fry for 2-3 minutes until it's thoroughly crisped on the bottom, then flip the Spam slices and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the soy sauce mixture and cook another 3 or 4 minutes, flipping a couple of times, so the mixture caramelizes, then remove the Spam slices to a plate.
Assemble the musubi: The 2 sheets of nori and cut them in 4 strips each, short way, so each strip is about 2 inches wide. Lay a strip of nori on your work surface (a cutting board works well), and lay a slice of Spam perpendicular on it. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of furikake onto the Spam slice. Measure 1/4 to 1/2 c of sushi rice into your hand (wet your hands first!), and shape it into the size of the Spam, then press it down over the furikake. Wrap the nori around the entire thing, and "seal" with a pat of water. Feel like cheating? This is the musubi press I use - it saves your hands from the attack of sticky rice, and lets you press the musubi well enough that it won't fall apart. I bet you - use the musubi press!
Continue with all the Spam slices. Eat right away, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill. You can eat them cold, or microwave for about 20 seconds unwrapped.
Mix It Up:
- The possibilities are endless!
- Use another Spam variety if you have a favorite
- Try a different furikake flavor, like wasabi (spicy) or noritamago (seaweed and egg)
- Don't like the sour rice? Leave out the vinegar mix next time
- Love Spam? Feel free to omit the furikake entirely
- Honestly do whatever you want; I literally don't care. Use sliced chicken instead of Spam, add a slice of bacon, anything - you really can't go wrong!
Spam Musubi
Yield: 8
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
Ingredients
For the rice:
- 1 1/2 c dry sushi rice
- 2 1/4 c cold water
- 1 Tbs rice vinegar
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
For the musubi:
- 12 oz Spam
- 1/4 c water
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbs white sugar
- 2 sheets nori (seaweed)
Instructions
Make the sushi rice:
- Take 1 1/2 c dry sushi rice, add it to a large sieve and put the whole thing in a large bowl of water. Swirl the rice with your hand to take off the excess starch - this is how you make sure it sticks together when it's done - and when the water you use to rinse it runs clear, it's ready to cook!
- Add the rice to a rice cooker with 2 1/4 c cold water, and let sit without turning it on for 30 minutes. Turn on the rice cooker and let it roll. No rice cooker? A pot will work. Use my plain rice method, starting after soaking the rice with the boiling step.
- Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and stir well. Microwave about 30 seconds, then stir more, to make sure the ingredients are combined. Dump the finished rice onto a large, shallow bowl, and spread it out using a wooden spoon. Pour the vinegar mixture on it evenly and stir gently but fully, with a non-metal spatula or wooden spoon. Then spread the rice out evenly again so it will cool down quickly. (At this point, you can refrigerate the rice until you're ready to assemble the musubi.)
Prepare the Spam:
- Remove the Spam from the can and slice the long way into 8 pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and mix together the water, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl.
- Add the Spam to the skillet, fry for 2-3 minutes until it's thoroughly crisped on the bottom, then flip the Spam slices and cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the soy sauce mixture and cook another 3 or 4 minutes, flipping a couple of times, so the mixture caramelizes, then remove the Spam slices to a plate.
Assemble the musubi:
- The 2 sheets of nori and cut them in 4 strips each, short way, so each strip is about 2 inches wide. Lay a strip of nori on your work surface (a cutting board works well), and lay a slice of Spam perpendicular on it. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of furikake onto the Spam slice. Measure 1/4 to 1/2 c of sushi rice into your hand (wet your hands first!), and shape it into the size of the Spam, then press it down over the furikake. Wrap the nori around the entire thing, and "seal" with a pat of water. OR! Use a musubi press - it saves your hands from the attack of sticky rice, and lets you press the musubi well enough that it won't fall apart. I bet you - use the musubi press!
- Continue with all the Spam slices. Eat right away, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill. You can eat them cold, or microwave for about 20 seconds unwrapped.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
240Fat (grams)
2.24Sat. Fat (grams)
0.74Carbs (grams)
13.34Fiber (grams)
0.01Net carbs
13.33Sugar (grams)
4.81Protein (grams)
1.73Sodium (milligrams)
229.03Cholesterol (grams)
4.97