Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) can SPAM
- 2 cups warm cooked short- or medium-grain rice
- 4 full sheets nori, halved lengthwise into 8 broad wrappers; trim to fit the mold
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon neutral cooking oil
Instructions
- Stir the soy sauce and sugar together until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
- Cut the SPAM crosswise into 8 even slices.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the SPAM for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Reduce the heat, add the soy-sugar mixture, and turn the slices until lightly glazed. Remove from the heat.
- Place a broad nori sheet inside the mold, lining the full length of its bottom and both long sides with the free flaps above the rim. Measure about 1/4 cup warm cooked rice for one musubi. Spread half inside the nori lining, add one glazed SPAM slice, then spread the remaining rice evenly over the filling.
- Press the ingredient layers evenly with the plunger, then remove the plunger while leaving the musubi inside the mold.
- Fold the broad nori flaps over the entire top of the ingredient layers while the musubi is still inside the mold. Overlap the edges so the nori encloses the full length of the layered block.
- Place the plunger on the wrapped musubi to hold it together. Steady the mold and use the plunger to push the wrapped musubi cleanly through the open bottom onto a clean board. Repeat to make 8 musubi.
Notes
- Use warm—not steaming—rice so it shapes without immediately softening the nori.
- If the mold is larger than the SPAM slice, distribute the rice evenly to the corners before pressing.
- For food safety, refrigerate perishable leftovers within two hours, or within one hour above 90°F, following USDA guidance.