Week 17 - Deconstructed

Publishing some drafts that have been done for months, but were waiting for their "proper" chronological spot. A little over three months to the end of the year (how?!), so who cares about order anymore?

The Week 17 challenge was deconstructed, and as usual when it comes to more "abstract" challenges, I had no immediate ideas. After some googling, I found deconstructed Spam musubi in the form of bowls, and considering our household's love for Spam, it was a no-brainer.

Usually, Spam musubi consists of rice topped with Spam that has been marinated and pan-fried, and the combo is held together by strips of nori. I used all the same ingredients here for the bowl - Spam, rice, and nori.

I wasn't sure what went into the sauce, but after looking at numerous Spam musubi recipes online, the general consensus seemed to be about 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of oyster sauce, and 1/4 cup of soy sauce. Ours probably ended up having a little less sugar, because the original plastic bag I was mixing the marinade in (really should have used a bowl) got a hole in it and some sugar got lost in the transfer to the new one. I marinated the Spam in the sauce for about an hour before pan-frying it. On the side, A made some wonderfully sticky Calrose rice, and I tore up some nori. It was a pretty simple meal to put together and perfect for a school night in that respect.

Since we don't have a musubi mold and I didn't really want to make my own out of the can, this was a great way to have all the elements of Spam musubi without trying to get it shaped properly. (Because all the flavors and elements were there, it's also why I'm counting it for the AtWCC.) I debated using some of the extra marinade to make a glaze, but it tasted fine without it and was already decently salty from the marinade and the Spam itself, so I skipped it. The bowl was delicious, and doing this in a deconstructed way allowed us to also have some fun and experiment with other options like hand rolls during the same dinner. Very happy with this meal!