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Spam musubi

· Street food

A bite of pressed rice with a slice of glazed Spam, wrapped in a strip of nori seaweed, very popular as a snack in Hawaii.

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Spam musubi: A bite of pressed rice with a slice of glazed Spam, wrapped in a strip of nori seaweed, very popular as a snack in Hawaii.
Photo: Ocdp · CC0 · via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto resized, converted to WebP and cropped for display.
⏱ 25 min🍽 4 servings📊 Easy🏷 Commonly associated🌱 Dairy-free
Preparation
15 min
Cooking
10 min
Waiting and resting
0 min

History

It is an example of Hawaii's culinary blending: it combines the rice and onigiri of Japanese immigration with Spam, the canned meat that became ubiquitous on the islands during and after World War II. It is sold in convenience stores and stands all over the islands as cheap, quick food.

Ingredients

Adjust quantities

Only numeric quantities at the start of an ingredient are adjusted. Descriptive quantities, seasoning to taste and timings remain unchanged; check them when changing servings.

Preparation

  1. 1

    Cut the Spam into slices about 1 cm thick.

  2. 2

    Make a glaze with the soy sauce, sugar, and mirin and cook the slices until they caramelize on both sides.

  3. 3

    Place a strip of nori, set the mold on top, and press a layer of rice.

  4. 4

    Put a slice of Spam on the rice and unmold.

  5. 5

    Wrap the block with the nori strip, sealing with a little water, and serve.

Cooking tips

  • Lightly moisten the mold and gently press the rice; serve promptly or refrigerate.

References to consult

References provide information about the dish, its context or a technique. Quantities in this version may differ from those in the source.

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