I love making spam musubi, but some of you may wonder: what is musubi? Musubi, also known as onigiri or omusubi, is typically a Japanese rice ball that is mixed, filled, or topped with a variety of ingredients and sometimes wrapped in nori (seaweed). According to orderyokaimusubi.com/WhatisMusubi: “People began making musubi as food to take into battle because of their portability and ability to keep throughout the day. Fossilized rice balls have been found throughout Japan and it is estimated that musubi originated in the Iron Age (300 BC - 300 AD). In the Edo era (17th -19th centuries) musubi remained popular with farmers & travelers. In the late 19th century, musubi was brought to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants and was often prepared as a convenient lunch while working the plantations.”
While my favorite musubi is spam, you can put just about any kind of protein and/or veggies in and on your musubi. Cheryl, for example, loves chicken katsu musubi. I have friends who like fish (cooked) or imitation krab musubi. If you are vegan or vegetarian, you can make it with brown rice for a healthier musubi or even with veggies like cucumber, carrots, or even tofu. It’s a food that you can eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack. Kimo’s ONO Grindz Chili Pepper Water (or even adding Aloha Shoyu) makes a delicious dipping sauce for any musubi!
Are you now craving this tasty snack? You can find my recipe for spam musubi here.
