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Let’s talk spam. No, not the stuff clogging up your email inbox. I’m talking about the glorious canned meat that will clog up your arteries. Except this recipe is veganized and actually good for you! Introducing: Vegan Spam Musubi!
Spam was a major part of my life growing up. My family is korean and was lucky enough to visit Hawaii multiple times. This canned meat is a staple in both culture’s modern diets. If you’ve never tried spam, it’s tastes like a cross between bacon and bologna and makes a great addition to eggs, fried rice, or sandwiches. It’s most famous rendition is probably the spam musubi from Hawaii. Warm rice, topped with a slice of spam fried in a salty sweet sauce, all wrapped in a crunchy nori sheet. Biting into it on the beach is pure bliss.
Now spam is in no way a health food and it’s not trying to be. It’s definitely a treat I enjoy every bite of, but it’s not something I should be having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (as much as I may want to). To quell my excessive desire to enjoy it all day everyday, I decided to make my own, healthier version out of tofu. Now, I’m not going to lie and say it’s EXACTLY the same as spam. Nothing can truly replace the mystery that is canned meat, but it does satisfy those salty, umami cravings.
This vegan and keto friendly recipe is almost as easy as opening up a can of spam. It just takes a bit of for sight to press and marinate the tofu properly. If you want to make musubi with it, you can make the tofu ahead of time and the rice bee as needed. You can also throw it into fried rice, scrambled eggs, or sandwiches. I love meal prepping it over the weekend so I can enjoy it all week long.
Whether you’re a spam connoisseur like me, a spam newbie, or a low carb vegan missing your favorite island snack, you’ll love this vegan spam musubi.
If you make this recipe or any others on my blog, tag me in a photo on Instagram @figisisters . I would love to see your recreation!
Recipe:
Ingredients:
Tofu Spam - Makes about 6-8 pieces
1 x 16 oz Package - Extra Firm Tofu
18 g - White Miso Paste
5 g - Dijon Mustard
10 ml - Rice Vinegar
20 ml - Maple Syrup - Sub liquid sweetener of choice for keto
15 ml - Soy Sauce - Sub tamari or coconut aminos for gluten free
8 g - Beet Powder - Optional for color
¼ tsp - Garlic Powder
¼ tsp - Smoked Paprika
Musubi - Makes 2 Servings
2 - Tofu Spam Slices
300 g - Frozen Cauliflower Rice
85 g - Cooked Brown Rice - Sub white rice, or 100 more grams of cauliflower rice or omit for keto
10 g - Collagen Gelatin Powder - Sub 4 g Agar Agar powder + 100 ml water for vegan*
15 ml - Soy Sauce - Sub tamari or coconut aminos for gluten free
4 g - Coconut Sugar - Sub white sugar, or granulated sweetener of choice for keto
5 ml - Rice Vinegar
2 - Nori Sheets
Instructions:
The night before, press tofu with a tofu press* until all excess water is expelled. Freeze for at least 4 hours. Defrost, and press again until all excess water is expelled*.
In a bowl, whisk together miso paste, mustard, rice vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, beet powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
Cut tofu into thin, ¼ inch slices long ways. Place them in a large dish. Brush each side with marinade until evenly coated. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper*.
Place tofu slices evenly on the baking sheet so there is no overlapping. Bake for 25-27 minutes or until crispy. Flip halfway through. Remove tofu from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack*.
While tofu is baking, prepare the rice layer. Add frozen cauliflower rice to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 4 minutes or until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, add it to a clean dish towel and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix gelatin powder, soy sauce, coconut sugar, and rice vinegar. Let sit for 4-5 minutes or until mixture firms up.
Add cauliflower rice and brown rice to a pan over medium-high heat using a non-stick method of choice* (i.e. cooking spray, oil, nonstick cookware, etc.). Saute for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
While cooking, pour gelatin mixture over the rice. Quickly stir to coat to avoid the gelatin sticking to the pan too much.
Pour rice mixture into a bowl. When cool enough to handle, using wet hands, form the rice into about 2-3 rectangle shapes about the length of the tofu.
Place a slice of tofu on top and wrap in the nori sheet. Enjoy immediately.
*Notes:
To make it vegan, add the agar agar powder and water to the soy sauce and sugar. Pour it over the rice mixture and allow it to dissolve before continuing the process as normal.
If you don’t have a tofu press, you can make your own by placing the tofu between two plates and stacking something heavy on top such as large books, cans, water jugs, etc.
Pressing and freezing the tofu helps the texture and makes it more crispy.
The tofu slices tend to stick even with the parchment paper. I’d recommend spraying the parchment paper with cooking spray to avoid sticking.
I would not recommend using water as a nonstick method in this case as it will make the rice mixture too mushy.
When tofu is cool, store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days to use for more musubi or other dishes.