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Servings:

Ginger-Soy Spam Musubi

If you hear the word “spam” and wrinkle your nose, then you have to try a spam musubi! Thick slices of spam are fried crispy, then sometimes simmered in a sweet soy sauce before being placed atop a block of fluffy rice and covered in a strip of seaweed.

This local Hawaiian delicacy is ubiquitous at soccer games, beach days, and gas stations all over the island, and everyone has their own recipe, from adding egg, extra seasonings, sauce or no sauce, or even replacing the spam completely. My version is a little sweeter and a little spicier than you might find at the local 7-11, but it’s how my mom made it my whole childhood - having spent many years in japan herself, she never forgets that splash of mirin that ties everything together.

Total Time

40min

5.0

1 Rating

Author: Lauren Holdcroft at SideChef

Servings:

Ingredients

•

1 can
(12 oz)

Spam

•

1 tsp

Canola Oil

or Vegetable Oil

•

1 cup

Warm Short Grain White Rice

•

Nori Sheets

Glaze

•

2 Tbsp

Brown Sugar

•

4 Tbsp

Soy Sauce

•

1 Tbsp

Grated Fresh Ginger

or Ginger Paste

•

1 tsp

Rice Vinegar

•

1 tsp

Sriracha

•

1 Tbsp

Mirin

(optional)

Cooking Instructions

Combine the Brown Sugar (2 Tbsp) , Soy Sauce (4 Tbsp) , Fresh Ginger (1 Tbsp) , Rice Vinegar (1 tsp) , Sriracha (1 tsp) , and Mirin (1 Tbsp) in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds to help the sugar dissolve.

Cut the Nori Sheets (3) into thirds. Cut the Spam (1 can) into 8 slices.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with the Canola Oil (1 tsp) . Once hot, add the spam and fry until golden brown and crispy, flipping as needed.

Add the glaze, stirring right before you pour it to get any sugars up from the bottom. Cook, making sure the slices are covered, until the glaze gets thick and slices are a dark brown.

Set up your workstation. Warm Short Grain White Rice (1 cup) musubi mold, a small bowl of water, seaweed, and a clean assembly surface. I like to lay down a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap so the rice doesn’t stick.

Add around 3/4 cup rice to the mold and press down with the top piece firmly - you want to be firm so the rice stays together.

Remove the mold and add a slice of spam. Press a piece of seaweed into the top. Fold it around the sides and run a wet finger along the edge to help seal before the final fold.

Serve immediately or wrap the musubi in plastic wrap for transport.

Author's Notes

Store extra musubis individually wrapped - but the seaweed will become soft if not eaten the same day.

If you don’t have a musubi mold, no problem! Don’t throw out that spam can - just line it with plastic wrap and press the rice into the can, then gently lift it out by pulling on the plastic, then proceed with step 7.

Nutrition Per Serving

CALORIES

263

FAT

12.9 g

PROTEIN

8.2 g

CARBS

27.4 g