musubi | spicebox travels

If you are one of my healthy cooking fans, you might want to skip this one… This is a special post for #LetsLunch, a monthly virtual international potluck on Twitter. This month’s theme is #RecipeGems (meant tongue-in-cheek)– recipes that call for an unexpected, usually processed ingredient.

This is not the kind of recipe that would normally appear on my blog or in my kitchen, but it just happens that my husband and I recently hosted a meal for our own real-life Supperclub on the theme of Hawaiiana. And anyone who knows Hawaiian/Pacific Island cuisine would guess where this is going– canned meats, especially SPAM. Did you know that Spam is so beloved in Hawaii that Hawaiians consume 5 million pounds a year? That’s 6 cans per person (children included) per year. That’s too much. And if you’re interested, beyond the pork, there’s more to Spam. According to National Geographic, Spam’s popularity in Hawaii is related to dark events in WWII history.

But all seriousness and data aside, let’s get back to the “meat”. Today I’m featuring Spam musubi, possibly one of the most popular creations involving the porky ingredient. This is not Spam straight-up. This is Spam prepared in one of the most beloved ways to people in Hawaii, including President Obama. Musubi is basically like Spam sushi. As simple and possibly frightening as this might sound, this was the hands-down favorite of the menu items at our Hawaiiana Supperclub– our guests actually clapped! (Those posts are coming up in the future and if you’re interested, check back on the Spicebox Supperclub blog to see.)

Without further ado, here is my recipe for Spam musubi. Enjoy (infrequently)! And maybe take a hike up Diamond Head afterwards to erase the evidence. Aloha!

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Spam Musubi

Makes 10

Ingredients

1 can Spam

3 cups uncooked sushi rice

Soy sauce

Sugar

Nori sheets (seaweed used for sushi)

Furikake (seaweed and sesame blend available in Asian markets)

Special equipment: musubi maker (available in Japanese supermarkets)

Technique

1. Slice the Spam into 10 even pieces.

2. Mix about 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce and sugar into a bowl and stir to dissolve.

3. Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add slices of Spam.

4. After 2 minutes, pour the sauce over the Spam. Cook for another 2 minutes on each side until crispy and caramelized.

5. Prepare your musubi maker. (if you can’t get one, you could try shaping these by hand, but it will be messy.) Cut the nori sheets into one inch wide strips and lay them on a flat surface. Center a rice press on the sheet and press your rice (about 1/2 cup) firmly inside, then remove the press. Sprinkle furikake on top, then add a prepared slice of Spam. Wrap the nori around the rice and Spam and seal the edges with a dab of water.