We lived in Hawaii for 9 years and at the checkout of a convenience store there was always Spam Musubi. Whilst it's a Hawaiian food - Koreans love spam so thought I'd share it anyways. These are totally delicious and moreish. You really can't mess this up. Save the sauce from the Spam and dip your Musubi if you wish! Extra yummy flavour!
Here's my mom's take on Musubi w/a Korean twist on presentation in the form of kimbap. Personally I think it's easier to eat and easier to make too!
Serves 3
What you need:
Spam: 1 can 200g
Soy Sauce: 2 Tbsp Brown
Sugar: 2 Tbsp
Eggs: 3 (optional)
Short Grain Pudding Rice/Short Grain Rice: 1 1/2 cups
Sesame Seeds - 1 Tbsp or 3 tsp
Sesame Oil - 2 tsp
Seaweed sheets (Nori/Kim) - 5-7 sheets
Water to help 'glue' the seaweed
Cooking tools: 1 Big Bowl to mix the rice, Large Cutting Board or clean surface to make the rolls on, Sushi Rolling Mat (optional)
What to do:
Start with the Rice: Measure out the Rice. It really MUST be short grain Rice because it is sticky and will stay together. If you want to be healthier, swap out 1/4 cup of the short grain rice for brown rice or other grain. Wash 3 times and add water, steam on high heat until boiling and then let rice steam on low heat for 20 min.
Once Rice is done, transfer the Rice into a large bowl and season with Sesame Oil and Sesame Seeds. Leave to cool about 10 min. We want warm rice, not steaming hot, to work with.
Whilst the rice is cooking, start the Spam. I found getting Spam out of the can a real challenge! Tip is to make a hole somehow in the bottom to let air in after opening the can so you can easily pop it out. Anyways once it's out, chop lengthwise into fours: 4 slices 2 ways so you have 16 sticks of Spam. Put the Spam into a pot, add Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar. Put on low heat and let it cook away on low for 20 min. It won't seem like enough sauce but trust me it is enough to comfortably coat the Spam. Leave uncovered. Occasionally swirl the sauce around to make sure all the Spam is coated in sauce.
*MyMommyKim Tip: For the Sauce, I think a good rule of thumb is for every 100g Spam = 1 TBSP Soy & 1 TBSP Sugar. Of course if you prefer a sweeter or more savory taste, just adjust and put a bit less of either. If you like the sauce a lot and want extra, then add another TBSP of each to increase the Sauce.
Whilst the Spam and Rice are cooking, you can make your egg omelette. Note that Eggs are optional and traditional Musubi does not include Egg, it's just Spam. For the recipe above, 3 eggs is perfect. Whisk and fry on a small pan so the omelette thick- I used a 22 cm pan. If you have a larger pan you can spread it thinner- no problem. Let cool and then cut into strips about 2 cm wide.
Once everything is done, it's time to make Musubi!
Set up your Kimbap station in order of : Nori, Rice, Spam, Egg, Small cup of water.
Get a sheet of Nori and put the shiny side down on your rolling space - this way the outside of the roll is shiny. If using a rolling mat, put the Nori on the mat shiny side down.
Spoon about 1/2 -3/4 cup of rice and spread thinly on the Nori to cover about 1/2 to 3/4 of it. Put Spam and Egg in a line horizontally across the Nori about 1/3 of the Nori closest to you. Dab water across the edge opposite you to help 'glue' the Nori shut.
Grab the edge of Nori closest to you and curl around the Spam and Egg wrapping them tightly and keep rolling until you meet the end of Nori. Add a few drops of sesame oil on your hands and pat onto the outside of the roll. Use a sharp knife to gently cut the roll so each piece is 2 cm wide.
All Done!
Now it's time to enjoy!
