When I was a kid, my dad would take my sister and I hiking on trails near our home in Colorado. To add to the experience, he’d make spam musubi, a favorite Hawaiian snack from his childhood. He was eager to pass along this favorite treat to his daughters. After my sister and I would play, run, and roughhouse in the outdoors, we would all sit together at the edge of a peak or valley and enjoy some good old spam over sushi rice.
I still crave musubi when I hike on the hilly trails of my home in Northern California. Nowadays, since I’m much more conscious of what I eat, I replace the spam with tempeh. As tempeh always needs a kick of flavor, I create a salty and sweet marinade with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and moringa to make a tasty snack that not only satisfies my cravings, but also gives me the nourishment I need after a long hike.
Ingredients
– 2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
– 2 cups water
– ½ tbsp Pure Moringa Powder
– 6 tbsp rice vinegar
– 1/4 cup soy sauce
– 1/4 cup oyster sauce
– 1/2 cup white sugar
– 12 ounce tempeh
– 5 sheets sushi nori (dry seaweed)
Directions
1. Soak uncooked rice for 4 hours; drain and rinse.
2. In a saucepan bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in rice vinegar, and set aside to cool.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together soy sauce, oyster sauce, Pure Moringa Powder, and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Slice luncheon meat lengthwise into 10 slices, or to desired thickness, and marinate in sauce for 5 minutes.
4. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook slices for 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Cut nori sheets in half and lay on a flat work surface. Place a rice press in the center of the sheet, and press rice tightly inside. Top with a slice of luncheon meat, and remove press. Wrap nori around rice mold, sealing edges with a small amount of water. (Rice may also be formed by hand in the shape of the meat slices, 1 inch thick.) Musubi may be served warm or chilled.
