May 17 2010
Spam Musubi with Tamago
For those of you who are not familiar with Spam Musubi, it is a traditional Hawaiian snack with a Japanese influence, that includes a slice of spam and a block of rice, and covered in a piece of nori (seaweed). The shape is created by using an acrylic mold which we bought at a local Japanese market. You can also find it online for a few dollars. This isn’t the first time we’ve posted about Spam Musubi; if you looked back at this post here dated January 26, 2009, we showed pictures of our friend making this at a party. What I just realized is that I spelled ‘musubi’ wrong and wrote ‘masubi.’ Needless to say, the wrong spelling of ‘spam masubi’ is one of our most-searched words on this blog. HAHA! I guess I’m not the only one who thought masubi is how you spell it!
Anyway, the reason why we wanted to share this recipe again is because we recently made it with the addition of tamago, which is a sweet egg omelette that provides another layer of flavor to the Spam Musubi. This is also traditionally done, but you don’t see this as often. We searched online for various ways to make tamago, and most of them require a tamago pan, which we didn’t have. We figured that if we tried to make it on a stove top, the bottom may get too dark and the center of the egg may not be cooked through. Alas, we decided to experiment by baking the egg in the oven and surprisingly it turned out pretty good. This additional post on Spam Musubi was necessary because we wanted to show more step-by-step photos of the process.
Because the Spam Musubi is wrapped in plastic to hold it’s shape, it’s definitely a great on-the-go snack. It’s also proved to be a very popular party food whenever our friend Cecille makes them. Try it out for yourself and you’ll know what we mean!
Since spam isn't the healthiest thing in the world, I used Lite Spam to make myself feel better about eating it. I cut it into 8 even slices (if you want it thinner and yield more, cut it into 10). I grilled it in a pan to brown both sides.
Next, remove the spam and place it on paper towels. In the same pan, combine 6 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tbsp mirin, and 4 tbsp sugar. Bring this liquid to a boil and reduce to low. Then return the spam slices back into the pan to coat them in the liquid. Once the liquid has thickened, remove the spam and set aside.
To make the tamago, mix together 4 large eggs, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp mirin, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp bonito flakes, and 1 tsp chives in a greased loaf pan. Chives are optional - we just wanted to give the tamago some nice color. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 12-15 minutes until the egg is no longer runny.
The edges are cut off so that it looks smooth. Keep in mind that this loaf pan only made enough for 4 musubis, so you would have to make it twice. Also, it wasn't exactly the size of the spam, but it was close enough.
To assemble, start with a sheet of plastic wrap on your cutting board, then a thin sheet of nori. Next, place the acrylic mold down and place the tamago and slice of spam inside the mold and fill the rest with rice. The rice is basically Japanese rice mixed with sprinkles of Furikake. I also like to drizzle a little bit of the thickened sauce that the spam was cooked in on the rice for added flavor. Finally, press the rice down and carefully remove the mold. Wrap the nori sheet over the rice and secure it by wetting the edges of the nori. Wrap up the musubi with the plastic wrap underneath.
The end result is a delicious and tasty snack that needs no utensils! Our experiment with making the tamago in the oven was successful, but you can try other popular methods, like using a regular pan or the special tamago pan. You'll also notice that we didn't put too much rice in our musubis because it could get unpleasant to eat when you have a brick of rice with no flavor. We will continue to play around with making musubis at home and experiment with other ingredients and we'll be back to share more of this yummy savory treat.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by sherimiya / sheri and The Food Addicts, The Food Addicts. The Food Addicts said: The Food Addicts Presents!: Spam Musubi with Tamago http://bit.ly/aaYZ25 [...]
I love spam musubi! My friend once got me a musubi making kit for Christmas but I forgot it at another friend’s house and her dad threw it away.
My stomach just let out a growl, as I’m reading this. Yummy, spam musubi…thought it was ‘masubi’ too!! I’m going to try this with tamago. Thanks for the post.:))
It’s like a cute little spam sushi roll! I love it, can’t wait to try it!
I did not know there was Lite Spam cos I don’t often seek out the Spam section. I will look more carefully next time. Right now, I’m already thinking how many can I eat…*goes on counting*
aha! yet another use for spam–i love it. i love the unique presentation of it and i love the tasty flavorings. thanks for opening my eyes to the wonders of spam.
.-= grace´s last blog ..festive but flawed =-.
I love spam. The musugi looks wonderful. I’m going to think about how I could make it with that plastic form. When I prepare Spam I start by simmering it (sliced) in some water for about 5 min. I think I’m getting rid of some of the fat and salt that way.
.-= StephenC´s last blog ..Roast turkey breast =-.
Hello ! I do not know this spam , or I think I do not know it – I have just googled and I checked what it is; your dish look absolutely great and I would love to taste it one day. Have a good and tasty day.
.-= Magdalena´s last blog ..White Asparagus and Crayfish Cake with a Strong Polish Twist =-.
Wow I have never had this before! Looks really yummy, although I can’t say that I love spam I would be willing to give it a try.
.-= The Cilantropist´s last blog ..Gratin Dauphinois =-.
looks delicious!
oohh..yummy..
I have never eaten spam..but wow this looks great..I might have to venture into the spam aisle
sweetlife
.-= sweetlife´s last blog ..Super Sweet Saturday =-.
Hi, Krissy and Daniel. This looks like the best Spam dish I’ve come across (I avoided most Spam on trips to Hawaii, just like my firewall blocks the other kind….). Fun post! Dan
would it be criminal to say i’ve never had spam? your pictures of this almost make me want to try it. i think i’ll have to get daniel to try a version of it sometime soon. great post.
.-= Dawn@CocinaSavant´s last blog ..A Wild Side of Hummus =-.
Looks like home to me!! You guys have got the recipe perfect. Love your site
.-= Emi´s last blog ..Fish Burgers =-.
Wow. That looks REALLY good.
Confession – I have never had spam. But you have convinced me to try it!
.-= Kristi@Ja Cie Kocham´s last blog ..Nutty Green Beans with Bacon and Blue Cheese =-.
Spam sushi!! I have to make it one of these days
.-= noobcook´s last blog ..Deep-fried Tenggiri Fish =-.
I LOVE tamago and never thought about making it myself! Did you know the first time I discovered tamago was with you guys? Lol. Ever since then, I’ve been hooked!
Thanks for the idea of the creative spin on the traditional spam musubi. This looks yum!
Great snack – it looks picture perfect and so delicious!
.-= 5 Star Foodie´s last blog ..Cupcakes, Cake Pops, Avocado Feta Tartelettes and Other Small Bites =-.
Gasp! That looks SO. GOOD. I haven’t had Spam in years – I loathe buying it, but if offered, I would definitely gobble it up. This looks delicious!
.-= Liren {Kitchen Worthy}´s last blog ..Cookin’ The Mint : Part III : A Sweet Ending =-.
You know, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible to make Spam look this good. You are truly magicians of food.
.-= Conor @ HoldtheBeef´s last blog ..Welcome! =-.
ah…spam. I grew up eating this stuff. IT was a weekend tradition that my mum would break open a can, slice, dip it in egg and shallow fry. Never had it served like this though- spam – Japanese style. Love it!
.-= Adrian @ Food Rehab´s last blog ..19 Bowls of what in 5 hours? Noodling around Melbourne for the best Ramen =-.