I’ve been on a kimchi kick for a while now. It’s fun to incorporate this Korean staple into all sorts of dishes that not long ago I would have never considered. One of the best accompaniments for kimchi is rice. The soft and chewy grains of white rice show off the spicy and garlicky kimchi perfectly. Add some Spam and you’ve got yourself the best snack ever.
If you don’t make your own kimchi, pick up your favorite brand at the market. I always have a couple of cans of Spam tucked away in the cupboard. Sometimes I use it for Spam musubi, other times I fry pieces until super crispy and eat it with fried eggs and rice. Ono!
Spam straight out of the can is not exactly appetizing. A quick crisping up in a frying pan remedies that. For this recipe the Spam is fried then coated with a mixture of soy sauce and brown sugar. It’s the perfect seasoning for the salty Spam and works great for making kimchi musubi.
The kimchi is cooked with eggs and green onions then cut into pieces to fit the musubi mold.
The first layer is rice and a sprinkling of furikake.
The Spam goes on next, followed by the kimchi omelet.
One more shake of furikake over the kimchi omelet.
A little more rice on the kimchi omelet before pressing together and folding with the nori.
Sriracha mayo is the perfect dip for this snack.
This is one of the best snacks I know of. I made Spam musubi for my grandson to take on the plane when he traveled back to the mainland. He adores Spam musubi and said to his mom “I just want to hug it!”
Kimchi Spam Musubi
8
servingsSpecial equipment: Spam musubi mold
Ingredients
3 rice cooker cups short or medium grain white rice, cooked according to rice cooker directions
1 can original Spam, sliced into 8 pieces
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
4 large eggs, whisked
1/2 cup chopped kimchi, drained and roughly chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
4 sheets sushi nori cut in half (on the long side) to make 8 pieces
nori-sesame furikake
Sriracha mayo (optional)
Directions
- Once rice is done cooking remove to a bowl, cover and cool to room temperature.
- Mix together the brown sugar and soy sauce. Set aside.
- Fry Spam slices over medium heat until lightly browned. Turn heat down to low, add brown sugar and soy sauce mixture. Turn Spam pieces over to coat well. Let sauce thicken a bit (turn heat up if needed) before transferring Spam to a plate to cool.
- Combine whisked eggs, kimchi and green onions in a small bowl. Place tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet pan) or small fry pan over low heat. Coat the pan well with canola or vegetable oil. Pour egg mixture in the pan and cook on low heat, flipping once to cook both sides evenly, trying not to let the egg brown (adjust heat if needed). Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 8 rectangular pieces.
- To assemble musubi, place musubi mold over center of nori (shiny side face down). Spoon a little rice in the mold then press firmly with the musubi mold press. Sprinkle furikake over rice. Place 1 piece of Spam over the rice followed by a piece of kimchi egg. Sprinkle a little furikake over the egg. Add more rice then press firmly. Remove musubi mold and wrap nori around rice tightly (be careful not to tear nori). Trim excess nori. Continue making the rest of the musubi. Serve with sriracha mayo.
Notes
- I use a small piece of plastic wrap to cover the top portion (the press) of the musubi mold so the rice doesn’t stick to it when pressing down.
- Musubi is best eaten right away or within a few hours. If you have leftovers, wrap each one in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to a day. To refresh musubi, remove plastic wrap and place musubi on a microwavable plate. Microwave for 15 seconds, flip over and microwave for another 10 seconds or until just warm.