“Oh no you DIDN’T!!!” Oh yes, I certainly did.
—-(ahem)—-
An Ode to Spam in the Style of Seuss
(Green Eggs ‘n Ham)Do you like Fried Rice and Spam?
Would you? Could you? In a wok?
Would you like them gently tossed?
Would you like them with fish sauce?
Would you like them cut up silly?
Would you like them with fried chilli?
Would you eat ’em with a spork?
Would you eat ’em with with roast pork?
You may like them, they’re not obscene
You may like them in chow mien.
Eat them! Eat them! There they are!
Eat them! Eat them! Be a Spam superstar!
—–(applause please!)—–
Thank you, thank you!!!
Just to add something healthy to this dish – I added organic fresh spinach. Spinach ‘n Spam!
Notes on Fried Rice & Fish Sauce (wouldn’t that make an awesome rock band name?)
Spam Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 3 cups jasmine rice from yesterday, chunks broken up so grains are loose & separate
- 1/2 can of Spam, cut into small dice
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 stalks green onion, finely minced
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper cooking oil
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat cooking oil in wok or large, wide saute pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add eggs and gently stir to cook eggs. When eggs are about 80% done (still a little runny), remove from pan and set aside.
- Turn heat to high. Add a little more cooking oil to pan. When hot, add diced Spam to the pan. Cook until spam is browned. Add green onions, fry until fragrant. Add spinach, fry until softened. Add rice and the cooked eggs and toss to incorporate all ingredients throughout rice.
- Let it all just sit still in the pan so that the grains of rice have a chance to heat up, about 1 minute. Toss so that the rice that is on the top now is on the bottom. Add cooking wine and fish sauce and stir again. Season with ground pepper. Is every grain of rice hot? If not, cook longer.
- Taste...salty enough? If not, add a little more fish sauce. But since the spam is salty already, you might want to go light on the fish sauce.
This sounds marvelous, I can’t wait to try it. Since I am on a lo or no salt diet (under pain of death), this is very appealing. By the way, I have been looking at riced cauliflower in the frozen food section, that might be a good addition to this.
I learned how to make spam fried rice and spam bisquick pizza in my home economics class at bret harte jr high in oakland, ca, 37 years ago. Our teacher was from china and she geared her lessons toward poor inner city kids, using cheap ingrediants. I had a fight with another girl in that class and Mrs Lim told us that while we were fighting, “We looked like a couple of siamese cats.” I have been making the fried rice ever since. Mostly I use breakfast ham, but I remember the spam fondly.
Another superb recipe for delicious fried rice. Loved your Shrimp fried rice recipe too 🙂
This is delish Jaden! I love the Shaoxing wine in this, added some extra soy too. I used leftover spam from musubi I made.
LOVE your veggie pho!!!!
I LOVE Spam. I was raised on it, since I was born in Puerto Rico. I’m a military brat, so when my family and I got stationed on Guam, it was like Spam heaven. (: Now I can make Spam fried rice for my room mate and I to get a little taste of home!
Hmmm… the only problem is that it has spam in it. Do you actually like the stuff? No offence but I think it’s truly disgusting!
This was yummy! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I got food poisening from SPAM went I was 15, today 64 still remember like it was yesterday, will use ham for this recipe.
I grew up with Spam, but it wasn’t until we lived in Hawaii that I really came to like it best. In fried rice. Mmmm!
i HAVE to ask…
what the hell do people have against SPAM?!?!
it’s a goes-with-almost-everything ingredient in the Philippines…
sheesh. so it contains some unmentionables in it… so what?
the French eat “boudin” which is dried blood sausage… and they say it’s delicacy…
Nebraska roots, an adoration for SPAM… I feel so connected to you, Jaden.
The Suess is a great touch by the way.
Very nice site!
You must have Filipino or Hawaiian tastebudes too, lol! This is a great recipe and my mom would be proud 🙂
We love spam, unfortunately I can no longer eat it as I used to but I do make spam fried rice with kim chee to use up all the leftover rice.
The inhabitants at home usually gobble everything up real fast.
BTW I just started reading food blogs and yours is one of the best.
Be back soon.
i think they have been doing the spam-carving for a long time now…at least as long as the term “spam” as it relates to computers anyway. they were already doing it when my husband started working at the school 10 years ago, so it has been around at least that long!
Jasper- ew, did you have to eat it at room temp? didn’t you carry a microwave in your backpack?!
Cindy- now that is new…a spam carving contest?!? I can’t wait to see pics of that. you’ll have to post and let me know!
oh jaden! LOL! well, here it is…I can’t do the spam! when i was a kid, my mom gave it to us sooo much, i can’t even stand the smell of it. but your post made me laugh, and i love the rhyme…too cute! but i went to see the show ‘spamalot’ and loved that. and hubby is an administrator at a high school, and they have a spam-carving contest (it’s in redmond washington where microsoft is) I can’t even imagine the mess after that!
Spam was one of the things which was easy to cook in a field kitchen way back when I was in the Army. It was usually a lot better than the rest of the dehydrated stuff they got with class B rations (no refrigeration necessary).
I’m certain I ate it and it was certainly better than a cold meal on a cold, wet, rainy German morning, but I can’t recall if I enjoyed it or not. ;/
EDM- Furikake makes everything taste better.
Eliza- I know exactly what you mean! I was at the store and the only thing I bought was 2 cans of Spam and I got a really puzzled look from the cashier. She even said to me, “your kids must have a school project?” lol.
I feel almost guilty when buying Spam though I only buy it once in a while!…as if the checker will think , oh my…this lovely, skinny lady loves eating Spam!
I can’t think of anything that tastes bad with spam. My favorite meal as a poor college student was 3 pieces of spam, 2 eggs, white rice (doused with either maggi sauce or soy sauce) and a sprinkle of japanese seaweed seasoning (furikake). almost as good as a homecooked meal from mom.
LPC- I love it. Spam N Shrimp. It could be the next Red Lobster Special….Spam, Steak N Shrimp.
Having just now edited some video of the chef of the Rouge Bistro in Toledo cooking up some steak and shrimp with a white wine sauce, tarragon and lemon grass, I suddenly have the urge to see what a similar Spam-n-shrimp dish would be like. 😉
Ari- ~~you are feeling lightheaded…spam…spam…spam…you.must.eat.spam. must.get.some.now.~~
Gattina- I know! The people who say they dont’ like Spam are so in denial.
Ilingc- Spam club sandwiches?!?! Oh I must get to the store immediately!
Amy- Git yerself some SPAM! Heal those childhood scars. $1.99 for a can of Spam or $1,999 for therapy. You choose. 🙂
Lol Jaden that rhyme was awesome. I haven’t had spam in ages. I remember I liked it then my friends made fun of me (back in elementary school) and I stopped eating it.
I hate to admit it but I looove SPAM. I often use it like you do in fried rice and SPAM club sandwiches.
ps. Love the photo, I think I know what I want for lunch! 😀
so far I haven’t heard anyone who dislikes Spam. We all keep saying it’s fatty but tastes so good 🙂
I am beyond amazed that you actually made SPAM look and sound so appealing. And that ode to SPAM cracked me up!! If we didn’t have a vegetarian kitchen I would so be heading to the grocery story to try this recipe – no kidding. I can’t believe I would actually try SPAM but how could I resist this photo?
Freya- omg, that sounds like the ultimate recipe. in fact, tyler florence should host the next “Ultimate Spam”
Wade- miss you!
Tigerfish- HAHA!!! you make me laugh!
Whenever I see the word SPAM, I feel like saying BAM! :O
Ok, maybe I have to add some sliced chilli to say that. BAM BAM BAM! on that SPAM SPAM SPAM!
I think “Fried Rice and da SPAM” makes an even better rock band name! The lead singer/vocal/guitarist is Mr. SPAM, and the backup guitarist called Mr. Jasmine Rice (err….another transvestite…Jasmine which is a Mister?) and drumist Mr. Spinach.
I’ve done char siew with fried rice. Time to do the spam!
LOL……..yup, I remember bringing about 10 lbs of this to you!
Love the blog, it is now bookmarked!!
Funny article! I used to love spam fritters (i.e. processed meat, dipped in batter and deep fried – a real health treat!) but this looks really good!
Bee- Thank you!
Kate- sounds like you need some spam therapy. Its really not all that bad!
Rowena- isn’t spam like the official state
sodiummeat of Hawaii?Sarah- yeah, but you’re my hero because you make lazy roast chicken!
Lynn- thank you for coming to visit. I’m glad you got your morning laugh!
Janice-just hide the spam in his omelette- he’ll never know.
Quote :
When your kids have kids, I�m sure they will say, �My mom made me eat this, so you are going to eat FRw/S too!�
This is possible. I remember when I was a kid my mom made me eat something similar like SPAM … “Ma Ling Luncheon Meat”. I think I liked it. Haha, my husband (he’s French) will NEVER eat SPAM.
Jaden, First time to your site. I laughed out loud over your blogger identity theft post. So funny! I love fried rice but don’t know that I’m brave enough to make it with SPAM. Kudos on a lovely and entertaining blog.
OMG, you are my hero today. This is too funny.
Whoo yeah! Spam is KING in Hawaii!! We looooove spam!
I cannot ever see the word ‘Spam’ and not think of Monty Python and their other-worldly obsession with the pink meat, from their constant singing of the “Spam Song” to the huge Broadway hit ‘Spamalot’
Spam spam spam spam
spam spam lovely spam
spam spam spam spam
spam spam lovely spam
Even being from Minnesota, home of Hormel meats, the creator of Spam, I won’t touch the stuff. Ever. Too many traumatic memories of it as a child being pawned off as ‘ham’ for us. Blech.
what a rocking blog you have here, jaden. and your pics are glorious. we’re adding you to the blogroll.
Simcooks-Yes, you are a Spam superstar!
Melinda- yeah, I had to think long and hard about what would rhyme with chow mien. It took an extra glass of wine.
Nandita – thank you!! Spam is canned miscellaneous body parts from the pig. Here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_%28food%29. Yes, I’m still a one-button click gal. In fact, I can’t even use any other setting because the flash goes off and I don’t even know how to use the manual setting with no flash. So I’m still with the “no flash automatic” setting. Yes, I know. I’m a dork.
JenJen- so gross yet so perfect.
Hi Janice – thanks for reading. When your kids have kids, I’m sure they will say, “My mom made me eat this, so you are going to eat FRw/S too!” I made it last night and while my kids LOVED it, my husband who was raised on nothing more than frozen pizza and pigs in a blanket – ate around the Spam. Go figure!
LPC- I loved Dr. Seuss not as a kid (because back then I didn’t really get why he was funny) but now it just cracks me up! Spam’nSeuss needs to be the next book they make (if they still publish books under his trademark). I think Seuss would approve.
Ya’ know, I’m kinda surprised no one’s yet mentioned Green Eggs ‘n Spam. It just seems natural, in an unnatural Seuss/Spam sorta way.
Hello,
My first time leaving a comment although I’ve been enjoying reading your blog, drooling over your lovely photos for several weeks now.
I used to make fried rice with SPAM for my children when they were younger. It was one of their favourite meal.
SPAM seems so wrong yet so right for this recipe.
I love the rhyme!
My first time here Jaden….and I love your blog – from these beautiful pictures, it is hard to believe that you are a one-button-click girl, really difficult to believe 🙂
BTW what is spam? I only know of the once that lands in my email…is it soem kind of meat- pardon my ignorance!
You are a nut!
I would never have thought to rhyme obscene and chow mien, but it works. This is probably the only way you could get me to eat Spam again.
Ooh I just made this on Sunday. I used frozen peas and carrots instead of spinach. This dish is so easy to put together. I am a Spam Superstar!