Before we tie a big, fat bow on this year’s box of ups, down and go-arounds, I‘d like to give props to Spam, the wondrous food that started my relationship with Creative Loafing (the newspaper that I write a weekly food column for) earlier this year when I dared editor Max to lose his spam virginity to me. And yes, I was gentle. I fed him luscious morsels of Spam nestled in mounds of snowy, fluffy, white rice.
It’s not an easy task, convincing people to willingly eat meat that comes in its own coffin, especially after hearing the “STHLURP” as it slithers out and the “STHLUNK” as it lands on the counter top in a quivering, solid, gelatinous mass.
But once you get over that part, it’s delicious, savory and like a pair of tight Levi’s, it goes with just about anything. Feed me a Spam wrapped as sushi, diced in an omelet or grilled between buns of a burger, and I’m as happy as gorilla in heat.
Outside of Hawaii, though, Spam is like the ugly step-child, banned to the tippy top shelf towards the back, so far out of my 5’2” reach that I have to ask for help. Everyone shopping within earshot of the supermarket bullhorn, “customer needs assistance reaching Spam in aisle two,” stares at me as if I had just asked to be spanked with a corn tortilla. But, come on, it’s just pork in a can with a pop-top. See that gorgonzola cheese in your cart? It’s really rotting mold from a cow’s tits. Don’t you dare judge me!
I betcha can’t name another food product that pairs well with Champagne, can spawn a Monty Python sketch and kept troops alive and well-fed during WWII. So, go ahead and pick up a can of Spam the next time you’re at the market. Just say aloud, “this would be great for the hurricane box,” if you’re embarrassed.
To get you in the mood, I’m re-posting my Ode to Spam in the Style of Seuss.
Jaden’s Ode to Spam in the Style of Seuss
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!
Spam Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 3 cups cold, cooked rice, chunks broken up so grains are loose & separate
- 1/2 can of Spam, cut into small dice
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 stalks green onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (or 1 tsp fish sauce)
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat cooking oil in large pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add eggs and gently stir to cook eggs. When eggs are about 80% cooked through (still a little runny), remove from pan and set aside. Wipe pan clean.
- 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 on all sides. Add green onions, ginger and garlic, 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 soy sauce and stir again. Season with fresh ground pepper. Cook until every grain of rice is heated through.
- Taste...salty enough? If not, add a little more soy. But since the spam is salty already, you might want to go light on the soy.
Check out the “Toastvertising” video created by the authors of a very cool book, The Book of Spam
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
Stay in touch with me in our 
Oh Spam, how do I love thee, let me count the ways…
– In kimchi jigae, taught to me by a true ajima (Korean auntie),
– Spam musubi,
– My version of a Spam burger (thickly sliced, pan fried till crispy then served on a soft rich (brioche-like) butter roll with kimchi slaw or kimchi and Kewpie mayonnaise if I’m feeling lazy,
– Fried slices over hot rice with a sunny side up egg and shoyu over it.
– Spam fried rice, I could go on… but I won’t cause now I’m hungry. Gonna open me a can of Spam NOW. 😉
Honey, you’re my kinda gal! Spam lovers unite!
I was born in Minnesota in 1937 so I have always had Spam in my life. When I was growing up during WWll, I remember my mother making an easy Spam supper for my brother and I. It consisted of cubed Spam, chopped hard boiled eggs, green peas, mushrooms and a tiny bit of pimento in homemade white sauce ( this was before condensed cream of mushroom soup). Mother served this over toast points. It was a delicious comfort food for us.
I use Spam in fried rice, and in quiche. Also is tasty in bacon and egg pie (when I have run out of bacon). Use it in most recipes that call for Ham, Bacon, etc when I have run out of them, and I bring it into play when I feel like something without red meat and usually use one of my tried and true recipies or wll experement. No failures so far so that pleases me.
Have a tin or two of Spam in the store cupboard at all times as it is so useful.
If there are a few slices not unused for the meal then they come into their own for a supper snack on crackers with relish etc, that’s if I haven’t raided them slice by slice each time I open the fridge door for something.
I use Spam chopped in mac and cheese and on Pizza, hard to remember as I mainly make meals up as I go along. Main thing if for Spam not to go ‘achanging’ on us. Would be disapointing to say the least.
Am an ‘older’ cook so have known Spam for many years. Ann
Oui, je suis bien d’acccord..
Tr
I remember eating this as a kid – sliced spam sandwiched between slices of white bread. Dip into beaten egg and fried in butter. Yum!
fond childhood memories of having spam (or rather, the local equivalent thereof, a chinese brand called MaLing, comes in a round orange can) sliced thin and fried until semi-crispy, then eaten with tomato ketchup and rice. yummy!
subsequently became survival food in college. spam casserole. spam cubes, macaroni, cheese and green peas stirred together with an egg, nuked and eaten with mustard. my hostel mates thought it was a delicacy.
now still have spam occasionally, as a bacon replacement in fried rice just like your picture. i love using fish sauce in fried rice too, though prefer to go without the ginger but use onions instead.
I grew up the youngest in a family of five in the military. Needless to say, we ate a lot of Spam. The one recipe I remember most from my mother was called “Baked Alaska”. Two cans of Spam covered in mustard and smothered in mashed potatoes. Then it was baked until the potato peaks were slightly browned. I haven’t been able to convince my family to eat Spam. They don’t know what they are missing!
Okay, fine, you win!
I just saw that Spam was on sale at my local grocery and I bought…two. One original, one bacon flavor (because is there anything in the universe that bacon does not improve? Anything??). And all because of you…
slice luncheon meat (spam) 50mm or thicker, dip into beaten egg, then corn starch, pan fry in olive oil til golden brown. it will still be juicy inside.
it makes anything taste so un-freaking-believably delicious, u can even eat ur old socks when it is sandwiched between a couple of em.
how could anyone not love tat. i guess only the sane. lol
Mmmmmmm, I love Spam! I buy it 10 cans at a time from Sams Club. Growing up in Hawaii, I love Spam Musubi, Spam in fried rice, Spam eggs and rice for breakfast, and on somen salad. Fortunately my new husband who’s lived in Washington his whole life is able to appreciate my love of Asian cooking.
The Spam contest may be over, but I will still submit my idea. I have not yet done so, but I always wanted to make a Spam Wellington, truffled foie gras, and all. It would surely be delicious
I haven’t had spam in over a decade but yes… I have eaten it. I think I liked it too… Should I be ashamed? lol Anyway, I would totally eat your spam fried rice. 😀
Jaden, we’d love to see you at Spamarama this year. Come on down.
http://www.spamarama.com/
I second this, though I usually will have it with rice and eggs fried over easy.
We grew up on Spam. Some examples were same as previous comments: Fried Spam and eggs on sandwiches, Spam in fried rice, Spam in soupy macaroni, etc. But my latest memory of eating Spam is the following:
I recently bought six cans of different flavored Spam when it was on sale. Soon after, I was ill. When I was finally able to move and to down some food, of course, being Chinese, it was congee. Fried up some small cubed Tabasco flavored Spam, threw some into a bowl of the rice congee, add in some pickled cucumbers, and a few drops of seseme oil. Heaven on Earth after being foodless for a bunch of days. And got the food groups in too: carb., protein, and vegetable. What more can I ask for?
I love Spam Kabobs. Alternate chunks of Spam and canned pineapple on wooden skewers (you could use fresh pineapple, of course, but it seems more appropriate to used canned). Grill Kabobs until the Spam and the Pineapple are striped with dark brown or black, and serve warm. MMMmmm-mmm-good!
What a coincident . My family was talking about spam the other day & 🙂 how I used to love eating spam when I was little (living in VN.) My dad just fried sliced spam a little bit and I ate it with small baguette . But for some reasons, I haven’t tried it again for years since I came to US.
Spam Musubi!!! That’s the way to go. However, due to the fact that I’m a wanna be healthy eater, Spam has not set foot in our house for a while. My wife does make a mean Spam Musubi.
Love the blog, Jaden. It always makes me hungry!
I recently tried to make Spam Cracklin’, and while mine didn’t look nearly as good as the ones pictured, they were still spamaliciously fantastic enough for me to try it again. (recipe here: http://chadzilla.typepad.com/chadzilla/2007/12/spam-cracklin.html)
Also, my girlfriend (from Hawaii) has sold me on Spam Musubi. A delightful snack!
Stumbled upon your blog via Pinoy Cook & I’m now a big fan! Anyway I love Spam, have eaten it since I was a child growing up in the Philippines. My favorite way of preparing Spam is to slice it as thinly as possible, pan fry it in olive oil, & serve it with steaming hot white rice–Filipinos will eat rice with mostly anything! Leftovers (if any) are made into fried rice just like yours. I buy Spam Lite now to delude myself into thinking it’s “healthier” but whatever, it’s still *yummilicious* & no one can ever convince me otherwise! No matter what animal parts are in it…LOL…what I don’t know won’t hurt me right?
I hope you don’t mind – I included this in my Skeletons in the Pantry re-cap…I just couldn’t resist. I’ll take it out if you want ;-(
While I’ve enjoyed Spam with scrambled eggs, I’ll always think of it in the context of the University of Wisconsin student union when I was in gradual school. A Chinese friend I was meeting for lunch pulled a can of Spam and a spoon out of his backpack and said, “Look! I’ve brought a treat!”
Woo! Spam really brings me back to my childhood (which wasn’t too long ago). My mum used to buy Spam from the Chinese supermarket and she really made a lot with it. It went in our chow fan, our lo mein, our sandwiches, and microwaved and eaten plain until we finished that container.
—
I love it as Spam Musubi and everything else you can make with it.
My favorite is Spam fajitas – slice the Spam, julienne it, add to sliced onions and green & red pepper strips and sautee, serve on tortillas with usual fajita accoutrements. Yum.
So you’ve had a couple of other poems in the comments – here’s mine 🙂
***
Whenever mealtimes in a jam
I pull out my can of Spam
It gives me something I can munch
For a speedy kind of lunch
So when the cupboards nearly bare
And you find a can of Spam in there
You can be rest assured for one
That your next meal is nearly done
If to Hawaii you should go
To learn to hula fast (or slow)
Theyll never serve you eggs with ham
Theyll say Aloha have some Spam!
I eat Spam morning, noon and night
For any meal its quite alright
I think its truly very good
Have you tried a can of Spam? You should!
Sometimes the Spam runs out my ears
And I think I will live four hundred years
But Ill be happy as a clam
In my pantry with my cans of Spam.
My favorite dish using Spam was made by my mom years ago. She found the recipe in one of the many womens magazines from the 70’s. It was Spam and Jack Quiche. What possibly could be better than Spam,Jack Cheese and pie crust?
Jaden, only you could make me want to try Spam. The rice looks delicious. I’m a Spam virgin, but I plan to win this beautiful prize package and fix that. I’ll try it even if I don’t win, but I’d really like to win. Hint, hint.
Luncheon meat. That’s what I call SPAM. I usually buy another brand here, MaLing, as it is cheaper. SPAM is relatively expensive in SEA (Both Msia n Sg). When I was younger, I never knew that SPAM reputation is that bad in the outer world. To me, SPAM is the more expensive version of my beloved luncheon meat. That is how highly I look upon SPAM 🙂
Sliced it thinly, n pan-fried it crispy. That’s the best way. I can just eat it as a snack, sandwich it between bread or eat it with rice/noodles.
If I like to be a bit fancier, dip thinly sliced luncheon meat in beaten egg, then pan-fried. Absolutely delicious!
Hah, too funny! Actually, this reminds me that I’ve got to do my spam post…there’s actually a very popular Korean dish called budae jjigae that relies upon Spammy flavour 😉
wahahaha! i agree to the horror thing! it’s like saying you love to eat live baby hamsters!
I think slab of spam with Miracle Whip on white bread – a sandwich fit for the gods!
Aloha Jaden,
I found you through your comment at Nate’s “Hawaiian Pake in Okinawa” blog.
Interesting you just did a an “Ode to SPAM” entry. I recently just did a SPAM vs. TULIP vs. TREET “Spam Musubi” entry!
Also, Anthony Bordain was here in Honolulu recently taping for his upcoming Hawaii show. One of those segments will be covering this venerable culinary hybrid we call the “Spam Musubi”. I blogged about. As well as Dave Choo, the guy who hosted the segment with him.
You can find his most interesting coverage of the experience at his blog titled, “Choo on This”. (Google for it).
Mahalo for such a wonderful food blog. Your photos are fantastic. I checked all your videos too. Very cool!
I love Spam. Sliced and pan fried alongside a sunny side up egg, with the egg yolk runny to dunk the Spam in. Or cut up and put on top of instant mashed potatos, with velveeta melted on it. Yes, it sounds nasty and yuck, particularly if one is a foodie with 3 shelves of prized cookbooks, but Spam is like the ultimate comfort food, and here we are talking, the comfort food learned from Granny. “healthy” has nothing to do with this stuff. Don’t forget the spam sandwich… spam on white bread, with mayo, a lettuce leaf, and cheese. And best of all, Spam is fun to say, and it’s fun to see the look of horror on people’s faces when you say you actually LIKE spam!
Oh, it’s been so long since I’ve had Spam! But my favorite way to eat it is still the same: fried in butter and then served on soft Hawaiian bread with no condiments. Yum!
Too bad I’m making your sour cherry polow this weekend or I’d probably be eating Spam sandwiches, lol.
So, is it wrong that the line in your post I focused on was “spank me with a corn tortilla”? Talk about food porn… 🙂
Anywho, the fondest memory I have of Spam, and still my favorite way to eat it, is either cubed or julienned, lightly fried, and then tossed with mac ‘n’ cheese. Many a college evening, this was a quick, yummy, and cheap dinner…
Helly Jaden,
Belive it or not, I grew up (in Central Florida) eating FRIED SPAM. Cut in slices right out of the can. I prefer THIN slices so it gets a really crispy crust! Sometimes I would make a Fried Spam sandwich with ketchup!
Have you ever tried Deviled Ham? Lunch meat in a can…………
I don’t think I’ve had SPAM since I was a kid, but I’m pregnant right now, so I’ll eat anything.
Been eating spam since I was a kid- Dad used to pan-fry it up in 1/4″ thick slices and serve it with eggs or in a sandwich…
The Woman Who Knows Most Things has not tolerance for several food items and thus they never make an appearance in the larder…but upon occasion when she is not in residence, or when I am elsewhere (DRTO, TDY, etc) I will indulge in nostalgia.
And I do have some in the Hurricane supplies…
Heh.
After reading everyone’s replies I think I’m going to make Joanna’s Buffalo Spam sometime soon… I’m in Buffalo NY this weekend, going to the Anchor Tavern for wings tonite…
WooHoo!
TBG
This has got to be the BIGGEST comments of any blog I have seen!
Hey Girl, your food has always been appetizing and I do remember this fried rice.
Happy new year to you and the family.
I’ve come looking for that sweet chili dipping sauce recipe to make this afternoon for a lime (get-together) at a friend’s house this evening 🙂
I like a slice of Spam heating in a skillet put onto mayo-ed toast as a sandwich! I add a slice of American cheese, if I have it on hand.
I have been eating spam since my childhood days and it usually is pan fried and eaten as part of the Asian family style dinners.
But after meeting my husband who grew up in Hawaii, we have been eating spam (pan fried), eggs and rice for breakfast now when we run out of portugese sausages.
I try to get the low sodium ones coz I pretend that they are healthier. I’ve seen the spicy version and definitely have to try that.
I would not eat it ‘cuz it’s treif
Made from 300 swine sent through a lathe
I do not like things made with pork
I avoid pig like a big Jewish dork
As a matter of fact, I had Spam for breakfast today, in a preparation I usually have for lunch – let’s call it brunch. Sliced, pan-fried, on toasted white bread with mayo, yellow mustard, and a leaf of romaine, with a glass of milk on the side. Really hit the spot 🙂
I have never tried Spam, probably because of a possibly unreasonable negative image. I would be interested in Spam recipes, and your fried rice has me intrigued.
If I had a can in the house right now, I’d probably give the rice recipe a go.
Mmmmm. Fried spam , scrambled eggs, tomatoes and cheese in a toasted sandwhich. Yummy!
SPAM!!! i love spam! why does everybody hate it?
it goes with anything and everything, substitutes all, can be a meal by itself – here in Geneva they have this weird, unrelated name for it “fromage d’Italie” (itlaian cheese), which confuses me immensly.
as a kid, we always had a gazillion ways to eat it… fried spam (first soaked in eggs), baked spam, spam with fried rice, spam and eggs, spam sandwiches, spam and cheese fritters…
then came spam musubi.
why ever didn’t we think of that?
now my little sister insists i make her spam musubi for bentos she takes on school outings.
but they all have to be cookies-cut first…
I seriously thought spam was what I get in my box and wondered when I saw the title, what did that have to do with food. The pic of fried rice makes me want to try it…
I love it best fried (till the sides crisp up) and enveloped between squashy slices of bread. Yum!
I have only tried Spam one way–in a burger, and I loved it. I have yet to cook with it myself, before I even saw this post I was looking at recipes on the Spam website, they have some pretty creative ideas. Great post!
I love your preparation of spam; it’s similar to the way that my mom used to make it for me, in fried rice with some scallions, carrots, and of course spam!
I’d love to have spam in a pineapple fried rice. The succulent tartness of pineapple (fresh or canned) balances out the juiciness of spam. Delicious!
I have a love-hate relationship with Spam. I remember it being as regular as lap cheong steaming away in the rice cooker or finding its way into fried rice or our egg-drop with boiled macaroni. Sometimes it was just enough to have one of those generic-canned-pork-products fried in our scrambled eggs with scallions. I think there were a few occasions where there’d be a fried slab of Spam in our fried egg sandwiches, slathered in mayo, not much else.
But ever since I’ve come into my foodie self, Spam has been a word stricken from my vocabulary. It’s so wrong, so unnatural, so subversive. A plight to gourmands and nutritionists everywhere.
And yet, when I see a pocketable, rectangular can sitting there in the aisle, or even a generic one that’s oddly shaped like the bottom of an iron in the oriental market, I still think back to much simpler times, much freer times, when Spam used to have a home in the cupboard above the stove in my mother’s house, when it would be that expected trick up my mother’s sleeve after a busy week.
Even now I can taste the saltiness of the Spam and its fried goodness in my mouth. And all I want to do is dip that fried cube in some Thai Sweet Chili sauce!
But I can’t bring myself to do it. I can’t walk to the market and scour the shelves for that yellow and blue colour scheme. I can’t whip together that elusive Spamburger or dip my gherkins in Spampat. SPAM AND WHITE STAR?! OH THE DEPRAVITY!!!
Although, if there ever were a can of Spam to be found on my doorstep from the SpamGods it would be swiftly thrown into a corner.
Where it would later be discovered and fried, on the spot. And just maybe there’d be a chilled glass of cava or spumante to wash it down.
Yes.
I do not like Spam
I would not, could not,
eat it in a pan.
I would not, could not,
eat it from the can.
I do not like Spam.
Period.
But I like winning stuff and your blog.
You know what?
I’ve never had Spam before,
Never.
I should just be courageous and pick up a can of Spam next time I go to the supermarket!
Never heard of it but would love to try! U took a good picture too!
Jaden,
first I wana say that your Spam fried rice pic is absolutely beautiful.
I grew up eating Spam musubi but sliced and fried is the way to go.
Sliced thin and pan-fried in a pan. Then drizzled with some Indonesian sweet soy sauce and eaten with hot steamed rice. A comfort food from my childhood days in Indonesia. As I grew older and was allowed to use the stove, I sometimes fried an egg and added it to the plate.
If there is a place in the world that puts SPAM higher on a pedestal than Hawaii, it’s Guam, and that’s where I was born. So, I have definitely had SPAM. I actually won a preliminary round of a SPAM recipe contest a few years back when I was still living there.
My absolute favorite way to eat SPAM is sliced thin, fried and then put in between really fresh white bread with just Tabasco sauce drizzled generously on the meat. Yum!
I love spam. What’s not to like: Chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added,
salt (for binding, flavor, and firmness)
water (to help in mixing), sugar (for flavor), sodium Nitrite (for colour and as a preservative). There are lite and turkey versions.
My husband likes it pan fried with fried rice or with noodles. It’s also good in congee. FYI: there’s a Spam calendar and a Hawaii’s Spam’s Cookbook, The Book of Spam, and Spam: A Biography on the market.
http://www.cusd.claremont.edu/~mrosenbl/spam.html
http://www.hormelfoods.com/brands/spam/default.aspx
I like spam fried and sliced thin in a sandwich. My husband like his fried in a sandwich, too but adds peanut butter and strawberry jelly. Our son likes it with just the jelly added to it. I guess I just like it plain….
I would eat it in fried rice.
In fried rice it looks quite nice.
What’s your favorite way to have Spam?
I like to add Spam to instant noodle. Not just any instant noodle, but those spicy Korean Kimchi instant noodle. Yum!
If you’re a Spam-Virgin, why haven’t you tried?
I’m pround to say, I’m not a virgin. Spam-Virgin that is.
If I send you a can ‘o Spam, would you try it??
Of course. Not only I’ll try it, I’ll be a few more can and have others to try it.
Hey Jaden! 🙂
To be honest, I don’t like spam. I ate it when we were kids and very poor and I never liked it. Then again I’m not one for spiced processed meat of any kind. Not even pepperoni! I know, I know, I’m a weirdo. Don’t hate me for not liking spam!
But I did love your Seussian spam ode! It was great! 🙂
my husband was a spam virgin and i was no super spam fan when we met, but i thought he should try it. he still doesn’t like it, but i like spam fried rice or spam ‘n’ eggs. not enough to keep it on hand but i am still trying to let me make some spam musubi.
My favorite way to have SPAM would definitely be the simplest. If it’s a new can, I just open it up, cut a reasonable slice and then eat it with steamed white rice. Or if it’s a tad too cold, I cut it into thin slices and then fry them until it forms a crunchy outer layer (but the best part is that the inside is still quite soft!).
Actually, you’ve already summed up the reasons why I just can not force myself to try SPAM, even though the Hubbs loves it (pan fried, between bread with mustard).
And I quote “STHLURP slithers STHLUNK quivering, solid, gelatinous mass”
Thank you and good night!
xoxo
My fave way is to fry sliced Spam and have it in a sandwich with cuke or tomato slices(to nutritionally balance the meal). Also known to have the fried slices with sunny side up eggs for breakfast! A big hit when we go camping!
I’ve never had it, but my Dad has recently been saying that I should eat it for the experience… I’m always up for anything…
I don’t have a favorite way to eat Spam, as I’ve only had it once.
I ate it on a cracker, straight out of the can. :0P We were out in the middle of nowhere dirt biking and it was the only thing resembling meat available for lunch. I remember it was VERY salty, and I’m surprised that a reputable food blog like yours is featuring it. There must be more to it than I thought.
Just your typical Hawaiian way of enjoying Spam:
-fried slices with rice & sunny-side eggs
-Spam & fried egg sandwiches
-Spam musubi
-fried Spam slices w/ teriyaki (kabayaki) sauce
-baked slices w/ crushed pineapple & sugar glaze
-baked slices w/ guava jam or jelly & sugar glaze
-grilled Spam & cheese sandwiches
-Spam fried rice, though I usually buy at Mililani Restaurant, Mililani Shopping Center, HI
Have not tried Spam. Just have not gotten down to trying it.
I’ve grew up with a similar kind called Maling Luncheon Meat. One of my favorite way of preparing is fried rice, like you’ve shown above.
I prefer Spam-fried-rice (will have to try your recipe!). My husband likes it cubed & fried on top of a salad. (I’ve never had it that way, will have to try that too!)
Jaden,
Just popped in to wish you and your family a very happy and prosperous 2008. 🙂
I haven’t had Spam in a few weeks…does that make me a Spam virgin? j/k
Favorite way to eat Spam is in kimchi fried rice, but in our household we usually have it thinly sliced, pan fried with garlic, eaten with rice and cucumbers.
“STHLURP” – haha! I can imagine you mouthing out the sound and figuring out how to spell it.
buffalo spam
1 can Turkey spam
1/8 cup favorite hot sauce (365 brand for me)
1/8 cup vinegar based hot sauce ( the clear kind with the token floating pepper is good)
1 pat butter
Slice spam into domino sized pieces. Pour hot sauce over spam slices in a shallow dish. Let marinate for 1 hour to overnight. Heat butter in frying pan. Lift spam slices out of marinade with slotted spoon and fry until each side is a nice crispy brown. Pour in 1/2 marinade and reduce by 2/3. Turn out onto plate and serve with blue cheese, celery sticks, or other favorite accompaniments, like beer.
Sliced thin, pan sauteed and then in a sandwich with chedder or American cheese, mayo and mustard. Or you can take the san sauteed slices, and use them as part of a grilled cheese sandwich. So yummy. My dad always made it that way and I have fond memories of it. I think that is one of the reasons my husband and I are together – Spam compatible!
What is musubi?
My husband is from Northern Ireland and I’m Filipino American — and what a lovely coincidence when we found out we both had a special place in our hearts for SPAM, albeit enjoyed in very different ways.
His mum sliced up the SPAM, fried the bread in butter and made little SPAM sammies.
My mom sliced up the SPAM, fried it, and then served it up with sticky white rice topped with a sunny side up egg. We’d break up the yolk on the rice and mix them both together. A comfort food that I enjoy to this day.
I cooked up SPAM, sunny side up eggs, and white rice for my husband and he in turn cooked me his SPAM fried bread sammy. How do I know it’s true love? We broaden each other’s SPAM horizon….
Oh and SPAM Royale kicks butt too.
Foodie soul mate, did you notice I posted Spam and kimchee fried rice just last week? 🙂 Although my favorite is still Spam musubi.
Never had Spam. Your spam fried rice recipe would make me want to try it– seriously! I’ve always been curious about spam musubi too– maybe I’ll make it to Hawaii someday and try it there.
when i was in fifth grade, our teacher used to have this ongoing dare where he would give us a dime if we tasted spam. there’s nothing like being dared to eat something to leave a lasting scar on your malliable childhood mind!
First, love the Ode to Spam:) Question? Would you, could you, eat Spam if you were a vegetarian?:)
oops I guess the link didn’t work
http://flickr.com/photos/sylviaaaaa/1388755083/
p.s. it’s not food pron.
Argus! It is the Greatwall brand. I always have a can or two in my cupboard.
I’ve been eating spam all my live that it has never crossed my mind that people may find it disgusting. Now that I think about it, it is kinda gross sounding/looking. Though that won’t stop me from buying more!
I used to eat it straight from the can with white bread as a snack when I was young. Love spam fried rice. And got my boyfriend addicted to spam with my favorite spam dish. Spaceribs, tomato soup with macaroni, topped with pan fried spam.
The Chinese version of spam is what we called luncheon meat. It’s mostly produced in China.
Because of some food scare recently, it was called off the shelves and we stopped the import of those cans from China. People who can’t live without turn to spam (a similar alternative with a slight difference in ingredients) or “chicken/fish spam”. Gosh where’s the good old pork 🙁
Anyway, my favourite way is to thinly slice them then pan fried. Either eat them neat or with porridge or between slices of bread. YUM!
I can’t believe how many people have never tried SPAM!
My favourite way to eat it, I must confess, is in nice thick slices, cold on a plate. If I’ve got some nice aged cheddar and some green olives and dill pickles, all the better!
I’ve never thought of putting it in sushi! My husband likes it, as many people above seem to, pan-fried. I eat it that way as well, but there are always a few slices that seem to avoid the frying pan quite nicely.
I must admit I am a Spam virgin but curiously so…if I win the can o’meatproduct, I’ll take pictures of my first experience and send them to you. Oh, I feel so NAUGHTY promising to display my food porn. Keep up the good work into the new year!
A SPAM virgin? It sounds so naughty, I almost wish I was one. Having been an Army-Brat and lived for a year in Hawaii when I was 6, I can say that I lost my SPAM cherry at a young age. To be honest, I hadn’t realized there was such an aversion to SPAM until relatively recently. Sure, it sounds funny in a Monty Python sketch, but I just thought everyone had or did eat it. Shows what I know.
I can’t understand the aversion, I think it just comes from the misguided idea that the sandwich meat or hot dogs that you buy at the deli are somehow less processed than canned SPAM. Shows how little people know about their food and how it is made.
My favorite way to eat SPAM is also the simplest – sliced thin and in a sandwich. I prefer a darker or stronger tasting bread, like a dark wheat or rye to match the SPAM and slices of sharp cheddar cheese and strong mustard. You can grill it also. Actually, makes my mouth water just thinking of it.
I can say that my Russian wife is a SPAM virgin (sorry, didn’t mean to out you like that dear). I think her aversion is due to her not having tried it and Russian suspicion of anything jarred or canned.
My Mom’s SPAM Casserole is my favorite SPAM dish.
http://watkinslynn.typepad.com/pages_pucks_and_pantry/2007/08/rozs-spam-casse.html
It was a staple in our household while I was growing up (can you tell I’m a child of the 50’s?). A couple of months ago I tried your SPAM fried rice recipe from May…used our $10 can of Commemorative SPAMalot SPAM (hey, I was hungry and the can was just sitting there) we bought at the show in Vegas. My husband can now no longer say he would never eat SPAM as he’s had two meals with SPAM and ate every last bite!
Not a Spam virgin. We ate it in sandwiches when I was little, probably my dad’s idea. And I even tried using it for Sweet and Sour a time or two. I still get the occasional craving for it. Have you had Taylor Ham, that New Jersey addiction? It’s pretty much Spam in a giant roll, although don’t say that in the hearing of anyone from NJ. Those cement overshoes are damned uncomfortable. /;+)))
We also made our Ruebens with canned corned beef, again, not sure why. But, by the time I finally had one with the “real” stuff, it was too late. I was hooked on the canned – the spreadable texture just seemed so much more pleasing than those strips of semi-dry meat. I always keep a can or two at home for my secret enjoyment. Heh.
I’ve only had spam once, and it was about 8 years ago when my dad opened a can of it, fried it black and then drowned it in BBQ sauce. I guess I can say that my experience doesn’t “count”. 🙂 I bet the care package has spam in it.
When I lived in Southern California, my gym was right across the street from a restaurant called Hawaii Loft, which served a delicious spam-fried rice. They also served slabs of fried spam as an entree, but I didn’t order that one often, because I LOVED their Island Fried Chicken with spam-fried rice on the side. I tried to recreate the Island Fried Chicken once and was *almost* successful–the result was good, but just not as tasty as the chicken from the restaurant.
Sure, it’s a little counterintuitive to pick up take-out containers of fried spam and fried chicken after going to the gym, but I figured I had earned it! 😛
A Spam breakfast skillet is a beautiful thing. Cubed Spam, chopped sweet onion, bell pepper, and sun-dried tomatoes, all sauted in olive oil till crispy, topped with some good shredded cheddar and a couple over-easy eggs. Now that I think of it, a Spamasian breakfast skillet would be cool … cubed Spam, a little bit of yesterday’s rice, some water chestnuts, a few bean sprouts, maybe some black soy sauce, all stir-fried for a few, garnished with some hard-boiled quail eggs … yeah, that would work! 🙂
Hi Jaden! I love your site. The photos are delicious and your wicked sense of humor really sets you apart from a lot of other food bloggers.
I haven’t had spam in AGES! It’s been at least 5-10 years (but I did see Spamalot last year, does that count?). We used to cut SPAM thin, fry it in a skillet and eat it with mayo on soft white loaf bread. Best sandwhich ever! I think you’ve inspired me to go buy a can 🙂
Happy New Year, Jaden!
I like Spam in sandwiches, nestled between some eggs. YUM! I also think it’s great in fried rice!
Spam fried rice was a staple in our home when I was young. It was a fav with our whole family. Thanks for bringing back all those memories.
I have never had SPAM but, after seeing that toast commercial yesterday, I gazed at it in the grocery store with grossed-out curiosity.
I think that I’ve never tried it b/c something about potted meat makes me feel squicky inside. It will be salty, it will have that meat jell-o stuck to it, it will feel like it’s been pressed together and the texture will be slimy and gristly.
But if you sent me some, I would gobble it right up. (Or, at least, gobble up that first bite!)
Growing up, Spam was a cheap meat ingredient to fill out the fried rice. Not enough soy sauce chicken or barbeque pork? Add some Spam. When I married, hubby had no idea the fried rice he enjoyed at my mom’s table was leftover rice and contained Spam. He had poor memories of the potted meat through his mom. I’m not sure what was created with Spam, but they don’t talk about it.
I have made Spam musubi, and enjoy that too. I have even soaked Spam in green dye to create green eggs and ham for my son. For anyone interested, 2 drops dye to 1 egg scrambled, the Spam requires a whole ounce bottle and an over night soaking to only achieve a slight green tint. Better just use a green tinted batter to coat the Spam. So, can anyone tell I had too much time on my hands when my son was little?
Nope, I’ve never tried it. Why? Color, texture, everything! Sorry, Jaden, but I just can’t get myself to try it.
“Spam? (quickly does a Google search and realizes its also an ingredient and not just used to name those ugly emails we get in our inbox)
Okay. So I am spam virgin (I like the sound of that). Would love to cook with it but I am in India and its not easy to get all the exotic stuff that I see in your blog. Makes me feel ugghh sometimes but, hey! We do get a lot of nice stuff in India too, so all is cool.
Lovely pic, by the way 🙂 And I am glad you took that pic of yours away from the banner. This one is simpler and so much nicer!”
I am a spam virgin. Why haven’t I tried? Prabu’s friend told me “Oh-so-nasty” stories that had spam, college and drinking in it. I never looked at a can of spam the same way from that day. I have to confess though, that spam fried rice you make sounds and looks too good not to eat and Prabu has been bugging me to make it.
I think I might lose my virginity over it one of these days
When Span goes on sale, I must purchase a couple of extra cans in case of emergencies. Of course you can always buy in bulk at Costco. Ok, ok, what can I say; I grew up in Hawaii and have a passion for Spam. While I love a good Spam Musubi, I’ve managed to combine three of my loves Spam, tofu and zucchini into a menage-a-trois of sorts. Basically I stir fry all three, adding chicken broth for a little gravy action. Onolicious! (Hawaiian translation: Yummy for the tummy).
Yes, I am a spam virgin. Until reading your post spam had never moved me enough to take the plunge. If you sent me spam, I would have to try it…and post about it (if I ever get around to doing that again)!
Here in Los Angeles, at our local Costco, they sell Spam by the case. I see people loading up their carts, with not 1 or 2 cases, but 5 or 6 at a time!! And we don’t even have hurricanes here!!
Fried Spam on white bread with mayo, was our Saturday lunch, as a child.
I grew up eating fried Spam as the meat course for many a meal, as well as Spam and mustard sandwiches. When I first got married and was on a tight budget, I would slice it several times, nearly to the bottom, and put half slices of canned pineapple in between, then put a brown sugar glaze over it and bake it. It’s pretty good ground up with mayo & relish for sandwiches, too. (BTW, I’m from the northeast)
Mmm, spam…
Growing up, my favorite way to eat Spam was sliced & fried (or straight out of the can) with cold white rice & kimchi. (My parents grew up in post-war Korea where wonderful American GIs introduced it.)
My current favorite way to eat Spam is Spam Musubi…although, due to the sodium content (& the ick-factor from my husband) it’s a rare treat.
OMG, I can’t believe how many Spam virgins there are here! I, on the other hand, was for all practical reasons raised on the stuff. My favorite way? Just sliced thinly, pan-fried until the surfaces become brown and rather crispy, and eaten simply with a nice hot bowl of white rice – using my fingers. Yum.
I could say musubi, but my favorite is fried noodles: saimin/ramen/yakisoba noodles, napa cabbage, maybe carrots, kamaboko, cha siu, and Spam stir-fried with a couple packets of saimin flavoring. I taught my mainland-born husband to love my Hawaii food, and he routinely asks for fried noodles when we have the ingredients on hand.
Despite its ready availability here on the mainland, Spam is a taste of home for me. My college roommates and I actually ate fried Spam on 9/11 while watching the news–quick and easy for them, comforting for me. (Yeah, I think I lose the contest by bringing up 9/11, but the Spam thing is a vivid memory I have from that day.)
For all you Spam novices, you can think of it as a flavorful condiment, the way bacon or pancetta can be: a little diced and fried on rice or eggs or whatever is salty, porky goodness. Hm…maybe I’ll have some Spam today!
We have a family holiday brunch dish called Spam & Eggs, which is cubed spam and quartered hard-boiled eggs suspended in a cheddar-cheese bchamel sauce. (Originally it was Velveeta, yo.) All of this is scooped on top of freshly-toasted bread. Photographic evidence: http://marriedwithdinner.com/2006/10/22/spamalot-or-not/
Can’t say I love it, but when we partake, it’s grilled then on toast with mayo. Grew up on it so I think I had my fill. My kids made the mistake of asking their dear Aunt for manufactured meat as a Christmas present, so every year they get some form of the meat in a coffin (I love that!). Lucky for us, we also got a loaf of homemade bread for Christmas…..
I do product tests for a survey company and had the opportunity to try the Spam singles before they hit the shelves. It’s the only time I’ve ever tried it, but I had it on a sandwich (as recommended on the package) and thought it was fine.
I’m intrigued by your recipes and have been checking out past winning recipes on the spam website as a result!
I am a Spam virgin, and I haven’t tried it simply because I like to cook and I never think of Spam as a food that requires cooking. I’d definitely try it if the situation presented itself (I’ve lived on potted meats during camping trips), it just hasn’t yet.
Okay, and maybe because it’s a little embarrassing to buy it…
ha, ha! it does! it has it’s own little coffin! i don’t eat it anymore, because we ate sooooo much as a kid. even the smell is a bad memory for me! but if i had to choose, it would be sliced thin and fried also for me. (but your rice dish does look very appealing!) i think i told you before, they have a spam-carving contest at hubby’s school!? weird! i can only imagine the carnage!
Heh… Mostly, I just drop it from the can, rinse the gelatin off, slice and eat. No toast, no condiments, no heating, just… SPAM. Not often, but about once a year, I’ll pick up a can or two because I’ve got the craving.
Usually, it’s been classic spam, but I’ve also tried turkey and “hot and spicy” with tabasco.
On occasion, when I’m in the mood to cook, I’ll sub it in for just about any meat, in any recipe. My personal fave, though, is a kind of dirty rice.
Cube the spam, with the gelatin still on, and drop it all into a medium skillet, start rendering some of the delicious fatty stuff out. When it’s all browned up a bit, drop in some diced onion (big dice for me), 2 cups water, one cup rice, stir, bring to a boil, cover for 5 minutes, turn the heat off and let sit for another 5 for the rice to finish absorbing. Fluff, and eat.
I have never eaten Spam, simply because I cannot get over its gelatinous state. In general, meat in a can scares me. I might try it if I didn’t have to touch it to cook it.
I think the only time I have tried SPAM was at Cafe 100 in Hilo – on our honeymoon. I think we ordered a loco moco each, though we probably could have split one, talk about a concoction that is over-the-top and delicious….
Everyone is always grossed out to hear that my favorite sandwich growing up was a spam and peanut butter sandwich. I haven’t had one in probably 15-20 years, but I should try it out again sometime just for kicks!
I like to make spam musubi with egg, only with the spam sauteed in Som Good sauce first. Mmm..
I have never tried Spam. In the past, I’ve had other canned meat such as the meat in dinty moore stew and the lil hotdogs in the can, but not Spam. It always seemed a bit too slimy to be appealing.
But, now those are days have passed. I gave up pork over a year ago so now spam is “right out” as Monty Python would say. But I admire your use of such a cheap, versitle ingredient.
I’m definitely a spam virgin. I’ve always thought that meat in a can was a little intimidating…
I do remember eating a little vienna sausage once when I was younger and I absolutely hated it. Maybe it fueled a subconscious fear of meat in a can?
Eons ago, when I was a single mother of 5 struggling to survive on a nurses salary, Spam was a go-to for stretching the food budget. We had moved to California from Louisiana, so my cooking definitely had a cajun spin. Spam Creole is so fondly remembered by my children that when they “published” a “vanity” cookbook of my recipes a couple of years back, it was included AND heralded as a fav. The dish was simply a Shrimp Creole rip-off, but they didn’t know that.
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp margarine or butter
1 small bell pepper, chopped (large dice)
1 small stalk celery, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 tsp snipped parsely
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
1 can (6 oz tomato paste)
2 cups water
1 can spam, diced (increase to 2 as children pass puberty)
3 cups hot cooked rice
Cook and stir onion in margarine in 2 quart saucepan until onion is tender.
Stir in remaining ingredients except Spam and rice. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes until sauce thickens.
Stir in Spam; heat through. Serve over rice.
6 servings
P.S. Weinies work too :p
Spam virgin here. I came close to trying Spam when living in Minnesota but never quite worked up the nerve.
Not sure what scares me about it… Maybe its the infinite shelf life of a meat product. But as I tell my boys — you can’t say you don’t like something unless you TRY it, so I’d give it a shot.
Jaden, I love your site. It’s made me the king of steaks with your sea salt recipe! 🙂
As for SPAM, I like cutting two thin slices from the big chunk, frying them up side-by-side golden brown, then adding a slice of American cheese on top. Once the cheese gets melty, I put them between two slices of toast for an absolutely delish sandwich. If you’re adventurous, add a swirl of ketchup for a taste of heaven. 🙂
And yet another “Spam-virgin”.
Try it? Sure, although I am wondering if it’s one of those things that you have to acquire a taste for as a kid, kinda like peanut butter.
Ahh.Spam..
Cook up a pot of wide egg noodles, with chunks of cabbage in the water, then drain, reserving both.
At the same time, heat butter, garlic, milk and swiss cheese in a pot on low.
Add the Spam when the cheese is almost melted, let heat through, and add to the cabbage noodles.
Pure Pennsylvania Dutch Spam, yum.
Jaden, my family loves your Firecracker Shrimp, thanks for the recipe.
Spam-virgin.
I think I’ve never tried it because I’ve never thought of trying it…
And why not? I’ll try anything* once.
*not poisonous, toxic, or otherwise posing a high risk of death-induction.
http://www.spamarama.com/
I’m not sure if I’ve had the true Spam brand of luncheon meat while I was in the States in 1986-88, but in Malaysia, since 40 or 50 years ago, someone has been importing a type from China with a white and dark green label and a picture of a real pig at the front. It might’ve been Great Wall brand. There’s a ‘key’ that comes stuck on top of the rectangular can. To open the can, you lift a small metal flap near the top, slip it through the ‘keyhole’ and start turning the key which rips away the band of metal.
My favourite way with ‘Spam’ is to fry it in a bit of butter with onions in scrambled egg – sort of an eggs benedict or egg foo-yong piggy-flavoured. Eaten on toast, it’s yumminee-yum!
Spam and eggs is a popular dish at our house. Cut the Spam into small chunks and brown. Add beaten eggs and cook until set. Top with a little cheese if you want to get fancy. That’s it. Delicious!
We also like Spam and bean soup and Spam croquettes.
I know I’ve had it and I *think* it was when I was a kid. I want to say we had fried spam for breakfast with the scrambled eggs and toast. (although it *could* have been in the Army also)
I haven’t tried your fried rice recipe with it yet (used shrimp, chicken and meatballs so far with that one) but would be more than willing to give it a go!
I remember having fried Spam sandwiches at
a friend’s house, when I was a kid. I was
thinking, “I’m not supposed to like this stuff,
but it tastes pretty good!”
*sigh* I’ve told no one about that, until now,
so let’s keep that between us, ok? Thanks!
No question, Spam hash. But a close second is that noodle soup I had all over Hawaii with those big, tasty pieces of Spam.
wow. so many ways to enjoy. Naturally, there’s the traditional SPAM MUSUBI, I like to pair it with shoyu sugar and sometimes add some bonito flakes or furikake with it. Another way I like to have it is to fry it up into cubes & throw it in an omelette with veggies…or have it like it were sausage with eggs, overeasy, over a mound of white fluffy rice covered with shoyu. Lastly, I like to fry up a plain white mochi, dip that into shoyu sugar, place a square piece of fried spam (coated with shoyu sugar), and wrap it up with a thin piece of nori, as if it were the worlds largest piece of spam sushi!! YUM!!!! I could go on and on about spam but I think i may be embarrassing myself now…
I don’t have a favorite way. I have had spam, but I honestly can’t remember HOW. It has been so long. Yes, I would try it – because I always try something twice.
I have not eaten Spam in years but when I was a child, my mom used to serve us fried spam sandwiches and I liked them. As a teenager I had a friend who grated the Spam, added mayo and relish, spread it on an english muffin, topped it with a slice of American cheese and broiled it until the cheese was melted and bubbly…..delish! I may have to go on a Spam run to the store today.
So, after reading this post, I must say that I’m embarrassed to have not tried SPAM. Surely any food product that has its own cult following (what, with the Monty Python song and lovely t-shirts) deserves at least a taste, right?
Yes, Jaden, if you send it, I will eat it. The proposed meals you keep pushing on us feeble readers have not failed me yet, so why should SPAM Fried Rice? (Why do I keep all-capping SPAM?!? Make it stop!)
If it’s good enough for Jaden, it’s good enough for me, I always say. Or at least I say it now in hopes that I win the Book of SPAM!
Chris
Have not had it in a while, but in my youth I had Spam in numerous ways. Pan fried slices. In a sandwich with mustard. In quiche. A square on a toothpick as a salty snack. And in fried rice, of course! Also, have you noticed that in Gmail, the Google ads that pop up when you view your spam folder are all recipes for Spam?
Would not, could not hesitate, to put some more Spam on my plate.
Jaden, you are one gifted writer. I’m so happy to see you are getting recognition in the local area. Now when is channel 7 going to give you a wider audience by featuring you on the News at Noon cooking segment?
I am a Spam virgin. I grew up in a home which knew no pork. But I’m willing to give it a try. There’s no need to send me a can though, thanks.
I love the Book of Spam toasted flip book video! And do you really like to be spanked with corn tortillas? 😉
I like it sliced and pan fried. My mom use to make Spam sandwiches to take to school. Yeah, I was really popular at school with my Spam sandwiches and sardine sandwiches. I’m lucky that I didn’t get beat up at school!
I can’t remember ever having eaten SPAM. But you’ve demystified it here! Your fried rice sounds very delicious — except for the SPAM part — but I would try it (you don’t even have to send me a can; I’ll risk buying some!).
This post reminds me of a thing that Katie of Thyme for Cooking is doing called “Skeletons in the Closet,” in which you expose previously hidden facts about your gustatory past (or present). In the post I did for that event, I talked about the very non-haute things I used to eat (and still eat!). It was fun.
Another Spam virgin here.. But I must admit – it looks very tempting. I have a feeling that it would pair wonderfully with leeks in a quiche…
I like it with mac and cheese, too! It has to be the boxed stuff with the powdery cheese packet. I haven’t had any of this stuff in years… brings back memories of high school! I had friends that carved the block of spam into the shape of a pig. That was a little disturbing.
I like Spam, either pan fried and eaten with fried rice or in sandwiches. A while back, I went hiking with American friends and I brought Span sandwiches. They ate it then. And then a week later, I met up with another American girl and we got to talking about sandwiches. I mentioned that I like Spam sandwiches. And she said like it was yucky coming from cans, etc… At the back of my mind, I was embarrassed because of the Spam sandwiches I brought to the hiking and my two friends were just forced to eat the sandwich out of politeness.
Glad I read this post. Now I know that not all Americans dislike Spam.
Spam musubi!! with the spam cooked in shoyu, sugar. With eggs and rice in the morning. In goya champuru with bittermelon, egg and tofu. Oh, and in corn chowder…what can I say, I grew up with Spam!
I ahve not tried the Spammy goodness. I avhe no reason why not. I just haven’t gotten around to it. Haven’t cooked with Saffron either – I’m just getting a chance to try a bunch of new stuff recently, sort of geting my culinary flex on so – SURE! I’d try to cook with Spam.
I have never tried SPAM in my life. I think it may be due to the fact I have never really encountered it in a grocery store. I have no idea where they even keep it and truthfully I have never exerted much effort in looking for it. In fact, the only time I ever saw it on a shelf was in a seedy gas station in Gainesville right next to what seemed like a 45 year old can of franks and beans. Uncomfortable associatons aside, I would be willing to try any SPAM you sent me (as long as it wasn’t covered in dust and peppered with Flying J price tags 🙂
Hi Jaden~
I really love Spam but haven’t had it in ages. I think since I’ve become more aware that eating heaps of sodium is not good for you, I’ve had a hard time picking it up off the supermarket shelf!
But my absolute favorite way to eat Spam is how my mom used to prepare it when I was younger. Cube it and stir fry it with onion and corn. Eat happily over a bowl of fresh steaming white rice. MmMMmMm. 🙂
I was in your area (Tampa) over Christmas visiting my in-laws but unfortunately you didn’t have any classes going on. I’m going to try to schedule our next visit so that I can attend one.
Hope I’ll get to visit you some time in the next year. Happy new year to you and your family!
Sliced thin and fried in a pan. That’s how my Grandfather served it to us. He suffered through the depression and served in a war, say no more! I bought spam sushi in the Hilo Farmers Market once. It was a pretty little package. I think it’d be perfect in fried rice, especially if I can’t find lap cheong.
Jaden,
I must admit, I have never been tempted to try SPAM until reading this recipe. I am working from home today, and I am very tempted to run out to the shop and pick up a tin full of the stuff!
Surely my boss won’t mind if I focus on food today instead of my work…
Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve never tried it because, frankly, it terrifies me. But if it came from you, I’d try to be brave.
This is a cake walk. My favorite way to have Spam is to simply cube it, fry it up, and toss it in with the macaroni and cheese that comes in a box and some frozen peas.
That kept me alive in college when my brain was working overtime. And, sometimes, even today, when faced with a daunting deadline, I will peel back the lid on a can of Spam and whip up some mac and cheese and voila! That deadline isn’t so terrifying.
That stuff’s like a freakin’ Scooby Snack to me.