033 Lazy Spam, Egg, and Avocado Musubi

My boyfriend offered to cook dinner last weekend, which is a rare occurrence so I didn't protest one bit. Hoho.

Proof that I get help around the kitchen once in a while.

I offered to help out so I could document how he makes one of my all-time favorite recipes - Spam, egg, and avocado musubi. Clint fervently believes that musubi is a Japanese dish, though I've only ever seen it billed as a Hawaiian treat. That being said, a lot of Hawaiian dishes are influenced by Japanese and a number of other Asian cuisines, so there's no way for me to prove him wrong. :) All you have to know about this post is that this meal is delicious, filling, easy, and cheap.

Also - I call this dish "lazy" because most musubi looks like this...

Photo credit to Heo Yeah Yum.

...and Clint and I are far too lazy to create beauty such as that.

So here are the ingredients you need. The bottle on the left contains furikake, which is a Japanese condiment made of a mixture of sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and sometimes dried and ground fish (depending on which type you buy). You will probably have to go to an Asian/Oriental store to find this little guy. I use furikake so that I don't have to make sushi rice (lol told you I'm lazy). In my opinion, furikake makes "regular" rice taste pretty similar to sushi rice (which is made with rice, rice vinegar, sugar and salt).

The first thing you need to do is prepare the rice. I usually wash it at least once or twice before popping it into a rice cooker (staple of any Asian household) and adding water. In the rice pot that goes into the rice cooker, there are usually markers indicating the appropriate water level for the amount of rice you plan on cooking. For example, fill the pot with water up to the line that says "1" if you're cooking 1 cup of uncooked rice, "2" if you're cooking 2 cups of uncooked rice, etc.

I don't always use this particular method, though I've never had a problem with it when I have. The Asian pro-tip that I usually default to (taught by my mom) is to place your hand flat on the rice, and then fill the pot with water up to your 2nd knuckle. It's usually a little more than what the marker states, giving you slightly fluffier, stickier rice, which I enjoy. This is a personal preference, so adjust as needed! 

Legit.

Place the rice pot into the cooker, press the Cook button, and you should be good to go. Most rice cookers have a "Keep Warm" function that will keep your rice nice and hot once it's done cooking. If you're not sure about what brand to buy, my family is pretty loyal to Zojirushi rice cookers. You can find this brand at almost any Asian/Oriental store or on Amazon. You really don't need to get the complicated rice cookers unless you plan on cooking more than rice in them.

Sha-bam!

The next step is to prepare the Spam. Cut it into bite-sized pieces and fry over medium heat. You can add some olive oil to grease the pan, but I find that Spam cooks just fine without it. 

Best smell in the world...which probably speaks volumes about my palate. :(

While the Spam is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil and soft-boil your egg. Remove whenever it has reached the level of done-ness you like. I like my yolk runny, so 4-5 minutes is usually perfect for me.

Starting to come together...

Take the Spam off the heat once it is finished frying and let cool - it should be slightly crunchy on the outside. Then, prepare the avocado by pitting and cutting it into bite-sized cubes/strips.

Healthy deliciousness.

Your last step is to assemble this wonderful dish. Get a scoop of rice, add the Spam and avocado, and break the egg on top. Sprinkled with furikake for taste for an amalgamation of AMAZING.

Yummmmmm.

Yield: 3 bowls 

Nutrition: 539 calories/bowl

Ingredients:

    1 cup uncooked short-grain rice

    1/4 tbsp olive oil

    1/2 can Spam, cut into bite-sized pieces

    1 avocado, pitted and cut into bite-sized pieces

    2 eggs

    Furikake, for seasoning

        

Instructions:

1. Rinse rice and prepare in rice cooker (or other preferred methods) as per directions. 
2. Heat olive oil in a small frying pan on medium heat, and fry Spam for about 5 minutes until crispy on the outside. 
3. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and carefully add egg. Allow the egg to cook for about 4 minutes, if you like your yolks runny - adjust as necessary. Remove eggshell when done.
4. Pit and slice the avocado. 
5. Begin assembling the meal. Get a scoop of rice, add the Spam and avocado, and break the egg on top. Sprinkle with furikake for taste.
6. Serve immediately. 
7. Enjoy! :)

Nutritional Information from MyFitnessPal:

032 Turkey + Tomato + Avocado + Cottage Cheese + Egg Sandwich

I love following food blogs as much as the next 20-something who spends too much time on Pinterest, but it can be challenging sometimes. Many of the recipes call for ingredients I don't have at home, or ones that I'll buy for the dish and probably never use again. I have lost track of the number of spice bottles and the tubs of sour cream/plain Greek yogurt I've purchased, and more often than not, have had to throw away. I have no doubt this travesty is easily avoided in bigger households, but because it's just me and my cat, I usually try to purchase ingredients I can get in small quantities, and this recipe is an example of that philosophy put into practice. I'm also not a fan of doing dishes, especially when I'm cooking for one, so this keeps the mess and the work to a minimum.

Here's the super simple collection of ingredients you'll need:

Big fan of Italian bread! The crunchy texture exterior with the chewy interior
when toasted is awesome.

I start by frying the egg in a little bit of oil...butter works too. 

Sunny side up eggs are the best.

In the meantime, I prepare the rest of the ingredients, which means slicing up the tomato and avocado, and getting the right amount of cottage cheese and turkey slices.

By the time you get the above ingredients ready to rumble, the egg should be done. I like mine with the yolk pretty runny, so I cook my eggs for about 5 minutes. Next, assemble the sandwich! 

Mmm. 

Look at this deliciousness.

And it's that simple.

Enjoy! :)

Yield: 1 sandwich 

Nutrition: 397 calories/sandwich

Ingredients:

    2 slices Italian bread

    1/8 tbsp light butter

    1 egg

    6 slices turkey breast

    1/2 roma tomato

    1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese

    1/4 avocado, pitted and sliced    

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a small frying pan on low heat, and carefully crack egg over pan. Cover the pan and allow the egg to cook for about 5 minutes, if you like your yolks runny - adjust as necessary.
2. In the meantime, prepare the other ingredients. Toast the bread, slice the tomatoes, and pit and slice the avocado. 
3. Begin assembling the sandwich. I prefer to layer it from bottom to top as follows: turkey breast (so the bread doesn't get soggy), tomato, cottage cheese, and avocado. Add the egg to top the sandwich off and add the second piece of bread. 
4. Slice the sandwich in half and serve immediately. 
5. Enjoy! :)

Nutritional Information from MyFitnessPal: