Spam Musubi #FoodieExtravaganza

 

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

Posting day for #FoodieExtravaganza is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

This month Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting this month's #FoodieExtravaganza. She wrote: " February is National Canned Food Month. Share a recipe that uses one or more canned goods."

Here's the list of our 'starting with a can' creations...

• Baked Beans Curry from Sneha's Recipe
• Chicken Spaghetti from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Garlicky Artichoke Pasta from Food Lust People Love  
• Homemade “Better Than Canned” One-Pot Chili by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Italian Pot Roast from Making Miracles 
• Pulao from Magical Ingredients
• Scalloped Tuna Bake from Palatable Pastime  
• Spam Musubi by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Ragù Bolognese from  Karen's Kitchen Stories 

Canned Goods

I don't usually have a lot of canned goods in my house. Dried goods, yes. Jars, yes. But cans? Not so much. I have shared Aash-e Reshte, a Persian soup made with beans; Tuna Noodle Casserole, as a college throwback; Corsican Fasgioli Incu Funghi (White Bean Stew with Mushrooms), made with canned beans as a shortcut; and, then, there was the canned wine I tried! 

Spam Musubi

Hearing 'Spam' might make you think of high-sodium military rations or something you don't want to see in your email in-box. But in Hawaii, it’s a popular ingredient that people use in comfort food. Spam and veggie stir fry, Spam omelette, Spam skewers, Spam fried rice, or Spam sandwiches. You name it. And my boys have spent enough time in the islands - with my parents - that they have grown to really love Spam.

So, I know that the photo isn't of actual Spam. But I took Spam more as a brand name that has come to designate a certain type of product. Take Kleenex, as an example. No one really calls other brands 'facial tissues,' right? When my Precise Kitchen Elf was with me at the Asian grocery store and walked up with that in his hand, he asked, "Will you make Spam Musubi for lunch, Mom?" I didn't quibble about it actually being Dong Won Luncheon Meat. Yes, I will.

Ingredients makes 8 pieces

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 can Spam or other luncheon meat , sliced into 8 pieces
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons organic granulated sugar
• 4 cups cooked sushi or seasoned rice (one of my recipes here) 
• 3 sheets roasted seaweed nori, cut into 8 strips about 2” wide

Procedure

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Pour in the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.

Add the Spam or luncheon meat slices and cook until browned and crisped on both sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the Spam to a plate and sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Pour water and soy sauce into the skillet and add the Spam pieces, sugar-side down. Let the Spam simmer until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Then flip over and let the sugar-soy mixture caramelize on the Spam. Transfer Spam to a plate to cool.

Assembly

Place a nori strip on a clean workspace and position one slice of Spam perpendicular to the strip on the bottom of the strip. Moisten your hands and scoop 1/2 cup of seasoned rice into your hands. Press the rice firmly into a rectangular shape about the size of the Spam slice. Place the rice on top of the Spam, then roll to let the nori sheet wrap around the package. Seal the end with a bit of water and place the musubi seam-side-down while you repeat until all of the Spam slices are done. 

Enjoy the spam musubi immediately at room temperature.

That's a wrap for the #FoodExtravaganza canned food event. We'll be back next month with Sue of Palatable Pastime leading our discussion of noodles for National Noodle Month. Stay tuned...