Woody Wagon Spam Musubi

Served up by LANI, the Stewardess with all the world’s recipes.

Prep: 20 min · Cook: 10 min · Makes: 8 musubi

Why surfers love it: It's salty, sweet and filling, it holds together in one hand, and it doesn't need a plate or a fork. Wrap a few in plastic and they're ready on the tailgate between sessions.

Ingredients

• 1 can (12 oz) Spam, classic or low-sodium
• 3 cups cooked short- or medium-grain white rice, still warm (from about 1½ cups dry)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar and 1 tsp sugar (optional, for seasoning the rice)
• Glaze: 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp mirin (or water)
• 4 sheets roasted nori, cut in half the short way
• Furikake (optional)
• A musubi mold, or the cleaned-out Spam can with both ends removed

Method

1. If you like seasoned rice, stir the rice vinegar and sugar into the warm rice. Keep it covered so it stays warm and sticky.
2. Slice the Spam the long way into 8 even slices.
3. Sear the slices in a dry nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, 2-3 minutes a side, until browned and crisp at the edges.
4. Mix the soy sauce, sugar and mirin and pour it into the pan. Let it bubble 1-2 minutes, flipping the slices, until the glaze turns thick and sticky. Take it off the heat.
5. Lay a half sheet of nori shiny side down. Set the mold in the middle, pack in about ⅓ cup rice and press it firm. Sprinkle on furikake if you like, add a slice of Spam and press again.
6. Lift off the mold, fold the nori up and over, and seal the end with a dab of water. Repeat with the rest and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tip: Wet the mold and your hands between each one so the rice doesn't stick. Eat them the same day, and keep them in the cooler with ice if they're riding along for more than a couple of hours.

Surf-town roots

Pull up to almost any surf spot in Hawaii and somebody's cooler has a stack of these wrapped in plastic. Our woody-wagon version is a salute to that easy, packable beach lunch.