Spam Musubi

Looked upon with some degree of revulsion by most of the world, Spam is a staple product in Hawaii, and this dish, Spam musubi, is a classic Hawaiian snack. It's one of those things that could only come out of Hawaii, where Spam is much loved, and sushi, or musubi, is common thanks to the large Japanese population. This is a super easy recipe, and, really, it tastes pretty good.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can spam
• 2 cups short grain rice
• Soy sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Furikake (optional)
  
• Nori
  

Slice the spam into 8-10 equal pieces and marinate in a mixture of soy sauce and oyster sauce. I use about 3 Tbsp soy sauce and 2 Tbsp oyster sauce. Rinse and cook the rice. After about 30 minutes, cook the spam over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan. When the rice is done, you can season like sushi rice or just leave it plain.

When all your ingredients are ready, you can start assembling the musubi. First, cut the sheets of nori in half. Take one half and lay it on your cutting board. Place a musubi press in the center of the nori, spread a layer of rice inside the press, top with furikake (optional), a layer of spam, and another layer of rice, as shown below.
When all the layers are assembled, press everything down and wrap the nori around the spam and rice block that you have just created.
Turn the musubi over so the flap of nori is facing down. The weight of the musubi presses down the flap and the warmth and moisture from the rice will help seal the nori.

Abby's note: We usually don't slice our musubi up; we just sliced it here for that first photo, so you can see what the cross-section looks like. It's actually best enjoyed holding it in your hands and biting into it like an ice cream bar. Not only is it more fun, but you can size your bites as you wish.

Also, to all you doubters out there, don't knock it 'till you try it!! Spam musubi rocks and is one of my fave comfort foods. Plus, it makes a great snack that you can easily wrap in seran wrap, stack in the fridge, and then pick off one by one, or toss in your bag when you're stepping out. It's basically a candy-bar-sized package of sushi awesomeness. Once you go there, you'll never go back.