So... how do you like the new look? I spent half a day with my little brother trying to clean up my blog a bit (thanks Mickey!). I'm still working on it, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know! Or, if you know how to work a blog, please come help me! If my little brother wasn't around, you wouldn't be reading this today. Note to blog newbies - don't try to edit the code!
While I was in Dayton, Mikey tried a new Hawaiian/Asian place by his apartment and he told me about something called Spam musubi. Quite frankly, I thought that it sounded like some sort of sea creature. But since I've been back in Columbus, I have eaten Spam musubi 5 times. And I've only been back for 10 days. Damn, that's a lot of Spam.
What is Spam musubi, you ask? Well let me enlighten you, my friends. Spam musubi is a Hawaiian treat that consists of a slice of grilled/sauteed Spam on a small rectangular bed of rice, all wrapped in nori. Still confused? (I was.) No worries, that's what pictures are for :) And a little wiki for those of you who would like even further education.
Fast forward 3 days..
Sorry I didn't finish this post; I spent the past couple of days prepping for interviews and now I'm interviewing in Kansas City! The interview is tomorrow, so I'll have to wrap it up soon. This residency interviewing is taking a toll on me already (and I've only been on one interview). Mikey has a crap-ton of interviews and he's doing an Emergency rotation. And I am about to have some interviews myself, so we never see each other :(. For those of you who are new to the blog, Mikey and I have already spent 3 months apart because of our rotations. Anyways, I'm a tad emotional. But perhaps that means a sweet treat for you guys soon (I'm an emotional baker).
Now back to your scheduled program of Spam musubi..
To make this a little easier for me, I got a recipe from Allrecipes.com, rather than writing my own. Here are the edits that I made:
1. I did not soak the rice for 4 hours - just make sure you rinse it 3-4 times until the water runs clear.
2. I did not add the vinegar to the rice.
3. I did not marinate the Spam - but I did make the marinade mixture and spread a bit of it between the bed of rice and Spam - just make a very small amount of the marinade.
Spam Musubi (adapted from allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
2 cups water
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (12 ounce) container fully cooked luncheon meat (e.g. Spam)
5 sheets sushi nori (dry seaweed)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
1. Soak uncooked rice for 4 hours; drain and rinse.
2. In a saucepan bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and
stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in rice vinegar, and
set aside to cool.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together soy sauce, oyster
sauce, and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Slice luncheon meat
lengthwise into 10 slices, or to desired thickness, and marinate in sauce for 5
minutes.
4. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook
slices for 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Cut nori sheets in
half and lay on a flat work surface. Place a rice press in the center of the
sheet, and press rice tightly inside. Top with a slice of luncheon meat, and
remove press. Wrap nori around rice mold, sealing edges with a small amount of
water. (Rice may also be formed by hand in the shape of the meat slices, 1 inch
thick.) Musubi may be served warm or chilled.
Enjoy, my loves. And do not be ashamed if you fall in love with Spam too :)
xoxo <3
Nhu-Y
P.S. I know this post makes it seem like I eat Spam all of the time, but really I just eat it once every few months. Absence makes the heart (and tongue) grow fonder!
