Bento 119: SPAM Musubi
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I love it when I have leftover SPAM to use the next day. I have taken to buying SPAM in 1/2 tins to stop me from gobbling it all up at once. It is not exactly gourmet, but I can spend hours waxing lyrical about this tasty treat. Hey, SPAM in moderation is good for you – not to mention convenient, tasty & affordable. I should probably do a series of bentos using SPAM in various different ways.
Today’s bento contain one of the most famous variation of SPAM ever – the SPAM musubi. According to the official Hormel SPAM twitter, this is the Prez’ favourite – which would not be a suprise as he is an islander. SPAM is unashamedly well-loved in Hawaii, and that is another reason why I am a closet islander (other than the wonderful weather, fabulous food and amazing surf) . SPAM musubi is probably as common as sandwiches for lunch; and the nori just goes so well with the teri sauce, SPAM and rice – delicious.
First I simmered my SPAM slices in my homemade teriyaki sauce (recipe here). This flavour is offset by the plain white rice, so don’t be alarmed at how salty it is at the moment. I added a slice of omelet (cut out with the SPAM can) and then stacked them all together in the SPAM can sandwiched by rice on top and bottom with a piece of cling film. This makes it easier for the stack to be released from the mould. I would love to have a SPAM musubi mould , but all I can find are those via ebay which are pretty expensive; around $20 inclusive of shipping for two pieces of plastic.
To make this rice-SPAM-sandwich easier to handle, I wrap it all up in a piece of nori, and then sliced it into half. I packed 1.5 musubis for tomorrow (ate the other 1/2, heh), and padded out the rest of the MRB tiffin with a carrot flower stick, asparagus ham roll and some radishes for a splash of color and texture. A baby apple completes my lunch for tomorrow 
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I have been thinking about SPAM today…and over the years there have been a number of limited edition flavors. One of my very favourite is the bacon spam – although I wished they had that in light. I’ve even managed to get my grubby hands on a tin of SPAM spread – which I still need to try out. There have been others; I’ve had jalapeneos & garlic flavored ones before. If you are a SPAM eater, which one is your favourite flavour? If you’re not a SPAM eater, why not (unless you’re a veggie, in which case would you try a vegetarian one)?
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oh gosh Mils. I shouldn´t come to see your blog when I am hungry. My stomach is making an enourmous noise! XD
Aha! I convinced hubs to buy Spam next time … it is not exactly the spam-brand so let´s see…
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Cute round bento!
lols! SPAM goes extremely well with soy sauce, egg and rice. The teri sauce just elevates the flavours to something crazy.
The bento looks really cute! =D I think it’s a great way to use SPAM. And it’s packed in there so nicely! Though, I’ve definitely picked up the habit of wrapping my rice things in either plastic wrap or paper and packing the nori separately so it’s crispy. But, in this case, it would probably mean that I wouldn’t be able to fit as many of the SPAMwiches in, and that’d mean less food.
Personally, I find the taste of SPAM really disgusting–along the same response I had towards natto and escargot. A part of me wishes I could just like it, so I could appreciate a cultural taste, but the best I can claim is that I’ve tried all three with as open a mind as I could get…and I still didn’t like ‘em. =( But, plenty of my friends like it, so maybe I’ll end up making these for a group picnic or something! =D
Thanks Athena! SPAM is an acquired taste, but I absolutely love it . I am also pretty weird, but I like soggy nori…weird huh? I like the crispy ones only if they are flavored…
Haha! You’re not the only one. One of my friends HATE crispy nori. She’ll only eat it if it’s chewy.