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This vegan musubi, also known as vegan spam musubi, mimics spam musubi which is a Hawaiian dish that traditionally isn’t vegan.
I’ll show you how to make vegan spam and then how to make vegan musubi with it!
- Recipe for Vegan Spam Musubi
- Ingredients
- How To Make Spam Musubi (Vegan)
Recipe for Vegan Spam Musubi
To make vegan spam musubi, all you need is a block of tofu, rice, nori sheets, and some sauce!
Spam is a brand of canned pork, which was created in Austin, Minnesota in the late ‘30s. But spam musubi, however, is from Hawaii! This dish can be considered a snack or a standalone dish that may be served along with soup or a vegetable side.
I wanted to make a vegan musubi using my vegan spam recipe as it brings together the combination of Western and Asian cultures, by combining the taste of the grilled “spam” on top of a block of rice that is wrapped in a nori sheet.
TIP: For a bold flavour, marinate the tofu longer and instead of baking, consider frying in a pan.
To make this recipe gluten-free, swap the soy sauce and liquid smoke for alternative gluten-free brands.
The recipe is vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, dairy-free and egg-free!
Ingredients
- White rice (sushi rice or short-grain rice)
- Rice Vinegar
- Salt
- Sugar
- Nori sheets
- Vegan Spam
- Tofu (extra firm)
- Soy sauce
- Maple syrup or agave syrup
- liquid smoke
- Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
- Garlic powder
- Ground ginger
How To Make Spam Musubi (Vegan)
To start making your vegan spam musubi, start by making your vegan spam! Cut up your tofu and slice horizontally into thin rectangular pieces – one block will make approximately 10-12 pieces. You can cut off the edges to make them round so that your tofu slice is more of an oval vs rectangle (to make it more spam-like).
In a small bowl, create the vegan spam marinade by adding the soy sauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke, mirin, ground ginger, garlic powder, and water. Mix well.
In a flat container, lay your tofu slices flat and pour in the vegan spam marinade, making sure each tofu piece is soaking well. I recommend marinating for at least an hour to overnight or if short for time, marinate for 10-15 minutes (preferably 15) on each side.
To bake your vegan spam in the oven, transfer tofu pieces onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 375°F. After 15 minutes, flip the tofu pieces and pour the rest of the marinade on the tofu. Bake for another 15 minutes. This makes the total baking time 30 minutes.
Alternatively (for a quicker method), you can pan-fry on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on one side (when it’s caramelized), then flip and pour in the remaining marinade and pan fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Next, we’ll begin to make our vegan musubi using the vegan spam! You can use whatever cooked short-grain rice that will stick together. I made sushi rice in a bowl by mixing white short-grain rice with rice vinegar, salt and sugar. It’s perfect for forming shapes like this musubi.
Now take your nori sheets and cut them into 3 long pieces using scissors or folding and tearing them slowly.
Use 1/4 cup of your rice and use your hands to form it into an oval ball, similar size as your vegan spam. Dip your fingers in water to help form your sticky rice into the shape you want. Place shaped rice and slice of vegan spam on your nori sheet and roll it into your spam musubi!
Tip: Use your finger with water to seal the end of the nori sheet so it sticks together once wrapped around.
Vegan Spam Musubi
This vegan musubi, also known as vegan spam musubi, mimics a traditional Hawaiian spam musubi but is made vegan!
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: Hawaiian, Vegan
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 338kcal
Equipment
Small Mixing Bowl to add ingredients for the marinade
Flat Container to lay out tofu pieces flat
Spatula to flip tofu in marinate (chopsticks work well)
Knife and cutting board
Baking Sheet or Large non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice sushi rice or short-grain rice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2-3 nori sheets
- 1/2 block tofu extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or alternative
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar
- 1/2 tbsp liquid smoke
- 1/2 tbsp mirin Japanese sweet rice wine
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
To start making your vegan spam musubi, start by making your vegan spam! Cut up your tofu and slice horizontally into thin rectangular pieces – one block will make approximately 10-12 pieces. You can cut off the edges to make them round so that your tofu slice is more of an oval vs rectangle (to make it more spam-like).
In a small bowl, create the vegan spam marinade by adding the soy sauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke, mirin, ground ginger, garlic powder, and water. Mix well.
In a flat container, lay your tofu slices flat and pour in the vegan spam marinade, making sure each tofu piece is soaking well. I recommend marinating for at least an hour to overnight or if short for time, marinate for 10-15 minutes (preferably 15) on each side.
To bake your vegan spam in the oven, transfer tofu pieces onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 375°F. After 15 minutes, flip the tofu pieces and pour the rest of the marinade on the tofu. Bake for another 15 minutes. This makes the total baking time 30 minutes.
Alternatively (for a quicker method), you can pan-fry on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on one side (when it's caramelized), then flip and pour in the remaining marinade and pan fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Next, we'll begin to make our vegan musubi using the vegan spam! You can use whatever cooked short-grain rice that will stick together. I made sushi rice in a bowl by mixing white short-grain rice with rice vinegar, salt and sugar. It's perfect for forming shapes like this musubi.
Now take your nori sheets and cut them into 3 long pieces using scissors or folding and tearing them slowly.
Use 1/4 cup of your rice and use your hands to form it into an oval ball, similar size as your vegan spam. Dip your fingers in water to help form your sticky rice into the shape you want. Place shaped rice and slice of vegan spam on your nori sheet and roll it into your spam musubi!
Tip: Use your finger with water to seal the end of the nori sheet so it sticks together once wrapped around.
Nutrition
Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1134mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 156mg | Iron: 2mg
NEED MORE VEGAN RECIPE INSPO? CHECK THESE OUT:
- Vegan Korean Fried Chicken
- Vegan Bibimbap
- Vegan Korean Soft Tofu Stew
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