← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 400 g sushi (short-grain) rice
• 480 ml water, for the rice
• 1 can Spam (340 g can)
• 1 tsp Vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Mirin (optional)
• 4 sheets Nori, cut in half widthways
• 1 tbsp furikake or toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs nearly clear. Bring it to the boil with the water, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 12 min, then leave covered off the heat for 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, slice the Spam lengthways into 8 even slices. Fry them in the oil in a frying pan over medium heat for 2–3 min per side, until browned.
3. Mix the soy sauce, sugar and mirin, pour it into the pan and turn the slices for 1–2 min, until the sauce bubbles into a sticky glaze. Take off the heat.
4. Set a musubi mould (or the empty Spam can, washed and lined with cling film, both ends removed) on a half sheet of nori, shiny side down. Press in a layer of warm rice about 2 cm deep, sprinkle with furikake, then add a slice of Spam.
5. Press the rice down firmly, lift off the mould, then wrap the nori up and around the block, sealing the end with a dab of water. Repeat with the rest and eat while warm, or wrap in cling film for later.

Tips

• Wet your hands and the mould with water so the rice doesn’t stick.
• Eat within a few hours or keep cool; don’t leave rice snacks in a warm bag all day. Use tamari for a gluten-free version.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Onolicious Hawaiʻi BBC Good Food