Spam Onigiri…
I have a confession. I love Spam and always have since childhood when my parents would literally buy cases of it because it was something that could be made quickly due their hectic work schedule. Whether it was Spam with eggs, Spam fried rice, Spam stew, Spam with ramen, etc…
Into my adult life, Spam became in essence, a comfort food, reminding me of my childhood days. Although, as a chef, my taste palette should be above what is sometimes referred to as “mystery meat” as well as knowing it’s lack of any nutritional value, it is a vice that I find hard to let go.
While here in Korea, at my local mini-mart, behold my surprise when I saw Spam onigiri on the shelves. Onigiri, or sometimes referred to as omusubi is a triangular shaped rice ball often wrapped with dry roasted seaweed. Many people often mistake onigiri as a type of sushi which it is not, since onigiri is made using plain white rice whereas sushi is made from white rice seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar and salt although the seasoning mix differs amongst sushi chefs.
Available in “Original” and “Kimchi” 김치 flavors at an Asian grocer near you! Oh, the price… 900KRW, the equivalent of $0.78USD each.
hamatama 