wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 32 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.
The wikiHow Culinary Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work.
This article has been viewed 478,976 times.
Learn more...
Spam musubi is a favorite snack in Hawaii. These are popular at beaches, malls and provide a quick bite to eat between work breaks.
Ingredients
- A pack of seaweed (nori); "sushi nori" can also be used
- Spam
- Rice
- Furikake (optional)
- Soy sauce
Steps
Rice
-
1Rinse the rice. Rinsing or washing the rice is traditional in preparing Japanese rice[1] , however, you are also washing away nutrients.
-
2Cook the rice in a rice cooker. A 3 US-quart (3,000 ml) rice cooker will be enough for 10 to 12 spam musubi, depending on how much rice is going to be divided amongst each one.
- Put half an inch of rice on both sides of the spam.
Seaweed and Spam
-
1Cut seaweed in half. Lay them shiny side down (so that the rough side is to you). Set these aside for now.
-
2Cut the spam. Open can, remove spam. Cut the spam horizontally into slices.
- Use a sharp knife.
-
3Cook the spam. Try frying, baking, or boiling the spam. Spam is pre-cooked, so you don't need to cook it long.
- Microwave: Cook approximately 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
- Frying/baking: Cook until it turns brown or crispy.
- Boiling: Boil the spam in 1/2 part soy sauce, 1 part water and sugar or sweetener for approximately 5 minutes.
-
4Create a "marinade" sauce. Mix equal parts of soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl and allow the cooked spam to soak for a little while.
Assembly
-
1Place a piece of seaweed vertically on the cutting board. Moisten the musubi mold and place it in the middle of the seaweed. Don't wet it too much, or else the seaweed will be too "gooey."
-
2Scoop rice into the mold. Add 1/4 inch (0.64 cm) to 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) of rice, depending size of the mold. Flatten the rice.
- Sprinkle furikake on the rice. (Optional).
-
3Place a piece of spam on top of the rice.
- If you want the spam on top of the musubi, fill the mold with more rice and flatten it hard. Sprinkle with furikake, place the spam slice on it, and wrap with seaweed.
-
4Scoop rice and place it on top of the spam. Moisten the back of a spoon or the top of a musubi mold to flatten everything down.
-
5Slide the mold off of the musubi. Holding down the top flat piece, slowly slide the mold up around the top piece and off of the musubi. Take the flat piece off afterwards, being careful of the stickiness of the rice.
-
6Take both sides of the seaweed and fold it in. This action is very similar as tucking a baby in a blanket. Dab some water on the edge to seal it.
-
7Serve the musubis hot or warm. Note that the rice has to be hot. If you are using refrigerated rice or standing rice, microwave it for a couple of minutes before making.
Community Q&A
-
QuestionWhy does the rice have to be hot?
Community AnswerThe rice has to be hot while making musubi because it helps shape it easily. The steam from hot rice works as moisture to help shape and hold it together. -
QuestionHow long will the musubi keep for?
Jivo WellnessCommunity AnswerIf you should have any leftovers, they keep well in the fridge wrapped/covered in some plastic wrap for up to 3 days. To reheat: Place Spam musubi on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. -
QuestionWhat kind of rice do you use, jasmine, regular or sweet rice?
Community AnswerSushi rice would work best. If you don't have access to sushi rice, you can make it by adding vinegar to short-grained white rice.
Warnings
- Depending on the rice, you might not want to put it in the refrigerator because the rice gets hard and flaky. However, you can usually get away with refrigerating medium rice grains. Or, you can learn how to microwave refrigerated rice.⧼thumbs_response⧽
Things You'll Need
- Mold (that holds the "figure" together) or spam container
- Rice cooker
- Cutting board
- Knife
About This Article
To make spam musubi, start by rinsing and cooking rice. Next, cut seaweed in half, lay it shiny side down, and set it aside. Then, slice spam and either fry, bake, or boil it before soaking it in a marinade of soy sauce and brown sugar. After the spam has soaked up the marinade, put your seaweed on a cutting board and place the musubi mold in the middle of it. Finally, add a scoop of rice, a slice of spam, and another scoop of rice before sliding the mold off and folding the seaweed around the rice and spam. To learn how to serve the musubis, keep reading!
