Making Musubi

A week or so ago, Mr. L. and I were making musubi -- team effort -- and I actually remembered to take pictures.  Here they are, along with steps.
For those of you who have never had a musubi, it is a delicious Hawaiian snack (Japanese origins).  They are very popular for breakfast, but can be eaten any time of day.  The ones we made are very basic, but I'll write about additions you might want to make.

Start by making your sushi rice.  It will need to cool, so that should be your first step.  You want it to be lukewarm when working with it -- not hot, or cold.  

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Spam, Spam, and More Spam

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Prepare to caramelize your Spam. The above photo was taken at Hilo's Sack N'Save grocery store on Kinoole Street. As you can see, there is a magnificent selection of Spam. Hormel loves us.  Anyway, we use the Spam Lite, but good gravy, there are lots of choices.

Here we are, caramelizing the Spam. To do this, pour some shoyu (soy sauce) into a frying pan.  Heat, add  your Spam, and cook on both sides until it is browned.  

Assembly time.  Mr. L is using a musubi maker here, but you don't need one.  You can use the empty Spam can, or just mold with your hands. Start with a layer of rice; compact it down.  Add Spam.  At this point, let's talk about other popular add-ins.  You can sprinkle on some Furikake seasoning, scrambled eggs (made the Japanese way, so that they are flat), or fried chicken.  Some folks skip the Spam and use hot dogs or tuna salad (minus the pickles).  That's good, too.  

Add more rice, pack it down, and get ready to finish assembly.

Wrap it up in the nori. Use a mixture of the seasoned vinegar, plus a little water, to seal 'er up.