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Japanese

Spam musubi

Hawaii's favourite onigiri: Spam seared until caramelised, glazed in a quick teriyaki sauce, and pressed onto a block of warm rice with furikake, then wrapped in a strip of nori like a belt. A musubi mold makes it easy; the empty Spam can, lined with plastic wrap, works too. For the rice and more fillings see onigiri.

8 musubi~25 min with the rice cooked
Spam musubi

Mise en place — set out in the order it goes in

  1. Teriyaki sauce
    Teriyaki sauce
    • soy
    • mirin
    • sake
    • brown sugar
    Step 1
  2. Spam
    Spam1 canStep 2
  3. Eggs (optional)
    Eggs (optional)beaten with sugar + saltStep 3
  4. Rice
    Ricefreshly cooked, warmStep 6
  5. Nori + furikake
    Nori + furikakenori strips · furikakeStep 7

Prep order — what happens when, and what overlaps

minutes
051015202530
Teriyaki sauce 2 min
Slice the Spam 3 min
3 min
Egg layer (optional) 5 min
5 min
Sear the Spam 5 min
5 min
Glaze 2 min
Mold, layer, press, wrap ×8 10 min
10 min
Bowl / counterBoardPan / stove

Cook the rice first and keep it warm — warm rice presses into a block that holds; cold rice crumbles.

Step by step

  1. Whisk soy, mirin, sake and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves.
    Whisk soy, mirin, sake and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves.

    1Teriyaki sauce

    2 min

    For this step

    • Soy sauce3 tbsp
    • Mirin4 tbsp
    • Sake1 tbsp
    • Brown sugar2 tsp

    Whisk the soy sauce, mirin, sake and brown sugar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.

    Teriyaki sauce
    Should look like this
  2. Cut the block into 8 even slices, about 1 cm thick.
    Cut the block into 8 even slices, about 1 cm thick.

    2Slice the Spam

    3 min

    For this step

    • Spam (canned luncheon meat)1 can
    • Tip the Spam out of the can. Keep the can if you have no mold — wash it, it's your mold.
    • Cut the block into 8 even slices, about 1 cm thick, each the shape of the can's top.
    Slice the Spam
    Should look like this
  3. Cook the beaten egg as one thin omelette, without browning; flip once.
    Cook the beaten egg as one thin omelette, without browning; flip once.
    Cut it into 8 pieces the size of a slice.
    Cut it into 8 pieces the size of a slice.

    3Egg layer (optional)

    medium-low~5 min

    For this step

    • Eggs3
    • Sugar1 tsp
    • Salta pinch
    • Beat the eggs with the sugar and salt.
    • Cook as one thin omelette in a lightly oiled small pan over medium-low heat, without browning; flip once.
    • Cut it into 8 pieces the size of a Spam slice (fold it to stack two layers if it's thin).
    Egg layer (optional)
    Should look like this
  4. Sear in one layer, 3–5 minutes in all, flipping halfway.
    Sear in one layer, 3–5 minutes in all, flipping halfway.

    4Sear the Spam

    medium-high3–5 min

    For this step

    • Neutral oil1 tsp
    • Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
    • Lay the slices in one layer and sear 3–5 minutes in all, flipping halfway, until caramelised and golden-brown on both sides.
    Sear the Spam
    Should look like this
  5. Pour in the sauce; cook 1–2 minutes, flipping once, until it's a thick shiny glaze.
    Pour in the sauce; cook 1–2 minutes, flipping once, until it's a thick shiny glaze.

    5Glaze

    medium-high1–2 min
    • Pour the sauce over the Spam and cook 1–2 minutes, flipping once, until it bubbles down to a thick, shiny glaze that coats the slices.
    • Take them out straight away onto a plate, with a little of the glaze — left in the hot pan, the sugar burns.
    Glaze
    Should look like this
  6. Nori strip shiny side down, mold across its middle, warm rice in about 2 cm deep.
    Nori strip shiny side down, mold across its middle, warm rice in about 2 cm deep.
    No mold: pack the rice into the clean can lined with plastic wrap, then lift it out by the wrap.
    No mold: pack the rice into the clean can lined with plastic wrap, then lift it out by the wrap.

    6Rice into the mold

    ~1 min each

    For this step

    • Cooked short-grain rice, warm~1.3 kg
    • Nori2 sheets
    • Lay a strip of nori shiny side down on the board and set the mold across its middle.
    • Wet the rice paddle and fill the mold evenly with warm rice, about 2 cm (¾ in) deep — roughly ⅛ of the rice.
    • No mold: line the clean can with plastic wrap, pack the rice in the bottom, press it flat, lift it out by the wrap and unwrap it onto the nori.
    Rice into the mold
    Should look like this
  7. Furikake over the rice.
    Furikake over the rice.
    Egg if you made it, then a glazed slice, carrying a little glaze.
    Egg if you made it, then a glazed slice, carrying a little glaze.
    Press down with the lid, then hold the lid down and lift the frame off.
    Press down with the lid, then hold the lid down and lift the frame off.

    7Layer and press

    ~1 min each

    For this step

    • Furikake4 tbsp
    • Sprinkle furikake over the rice; add a piece of egg if you made it; top with a glazed Spam slice, carrying a little glaze.
    • Press down firmly with the mold's lid to pack the rice into a block.
    • Keep pressing the lid down with one hand and lift the mold's frame off with the other.
    Layer and press
    Should look like this
  8. Fold one end of the nori over the top, then the other — snug, like a belt.
    Fold one end of the nori over the top, then the other — snug, like a belt.
    Dab water on the overlap to seal; seam side down.
    Dab water on the overlap to seal; seam side down.

    8Wrap in nori

    ~1 min each
    • Fold one end of the nori strip up over the Spam, then the other, snug, like a belt round the middle.
    • Dab a little water on the overlap to seal it and set it seam side down.
    • Repeat for all 8. Eat warm or at room temperature; cut in half with a wet knife if you like.
    Wrap in nori
    Should look like this

Based on: The Heirloom Pantry — How to make teriyaki spam musubi · Christie at Home — Quick & easy spam musubi (the can as the mold)