Spam Musubi

A pair of pantry staple ingredients, rice and spam, make a simple, no-fuss guilty pleasure comfort food “Spam Musubi”. You can make this popular Japanese infusion Hawaiian hybrid rice balls with minimal effort.

So what is Spam Musubi?

Just in case you have never heard of “Spam Musubi”. Spam is canned ham, and Musubi means rice balls in Japanese. It is a type of rice ball very popular in Hawaii. Fried sliced spam on top of pressed shaped rice and tied up with a strip of Nori seaweed.

What is Spam?

Spam is a brand of canned ham. This American iconic brand was launched in 1937 in Minneapolis and grew in popularity during WWII as it was an easily transported protein source. It is made from pork and tastes like pork and ham. Often used for sandwich filling but also used for Asian inspired dishes.

Is it Hawaiian Food?

While I researched about Spam Musubi, I found the book “Aloha Kitchen: Recipes from Hawaii” by Kysar Alana. According to the book, People in Hawaii consume more Spam than the rest of the USA and Spam Musubi is Hawaii’s iconic way to dish up Spam.

Pantry ingredients you need

You need to gather a 7oz(200g) can of Spam, Plain cooked rice, Furikake or toasted sesame seeds and nori seaweed sheet.

Homemade Sauce

You need rice vinegar, sake, soy sauce, sugar, potato starch (katakuriko).

Tips to Make it Delicious

The Spam Musubi recipe is very simple and requires only a few ingredients from your pantry. So it is important to prepare each ingredient carefully to make your musubi delicious.

Rice

Choose short-grain Japonica rice preferably, Koshihikari . This type of rice is sticky and therefore suitable for making rice balls. It will keep the shape when it is pressed in a mold and the rice balls will not crumble when you bite. See and read further in how to cook Japanese rice successfully and also how to cook rice without a rice cooker.

Add Sesame Seeds to the Rice

I often add sesame seeds to plain cooked rice. Because toasted sesame seeds not only adds a nutty aroma and flavor but also they contain a variety of nutrients in that little tiny seed. Read more about sesame seeds in Goma Ae post. (step by step photo 1)

Brown the Spam

The 7oz(200g) can of Spam is sliced into 6 slices and it is the perfect thickness. Also, you need to fry them and brown them thoroughly both sides. This step also renders fat from Spam and make the slices nice and crispy. (step by step photos 6 & 7)

Use the Spam tin as the Musubi Mold

You don’t need to have a special rice ball mold. In fact, the washed Spam tin becomes the rice ball mold. And for that reason, the small size Spam can is perfect. It is a perfect mold for this musubi because the size of sliced spam and the size and shape of musubi perfectly match. (step by step photos 13-15)

Spam Substitute?

If the guilt hits too hard on you or maybe you have a special dietary requirement and cannot eat Spam, substitute with firm tofu pieces instead.

Perfect for Bento Lunch Box

This musubi is perfect for the lunch box. Because it ticks the Bento rules. It is well seasoned to eat it later and also it has the moisture removed as much as possible. If you use the right type of rice (Japonica short grain) it keeps the shape and will not fall apart. So it is perfect for bento lunch boxes.

What could you serve with Musubi?

One spam musubi is quite filling, so it can be the main meal. I would suggest to serve it with vegetable sides or soups.

• Shira Ae
• Goma Ae
• Okara Sauteed with vegetables
• Miso Soup
• Japanese clear soup
• Egg drop soup

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