Spam fried rice is our guilty pleasure dish that we love to whip up when we're trying to stay on budget. It's cheap, efficient and oh-so-delicious! It might now be the healthiest dish, but it always satisfy our craving for a tasty meal.
We didn't grew up with spam and Alvin first introduced it to me in 2017 (yes, late bloomer) and instantly loved it. I'm bit on texture, and I loved how Alvin had caramelized the spam cubes making it crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Nowadays, we eat it every now and then, and always have a tin in our pantry. It's not something you should be eating on the daily, but we love to treat ourself to spam every few weeks.
Why we love Spam Fried Rice
Spam is easy to prepare, yet so tasty. It gives great flavor to such a simple meal as a fried rice. We love to marinate ours and get it crispy on the outside, yet perfectly soft on the inside. It's the perfect comfort food to whip up on a lazy day with this recipe taking no more than 25 minutes! And with the crazy inflation going on this year, it doesn't hurt to have quick cheap meals from time to time.
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Best rice to use
We lose to use white short-grain rice for majority of our recipes, but if you don't have any on hand, you can swap for long-grain. The important factor is to use cold day-old rice, it will help your dish to avoid being mushy. If you have have old rice, you can cook a new batch with less water than you would usually do.
Tips to make the best Spam Fried Rice
- Caramelized your spam. Using honey, or any kind of sugar, will caramelized your spam and make it crispy on the outside, while perfectly soft on the inside.
- Use cold leftover rice. This will help get the best texture!
- Mix well to coat each grain of rice with sauce and oil. It will make your dish extra savory.
- Use veggies that contain a lot of crunchy and juice, such as celery and onion. We guarantee it will make such a difference!
Ingredients
Spam Marinade
- Spam: We like to use the less salty version, because spam is already very salty.
- Low-sodium soy sauce: we highly suggest to use a low sodium version, or else the spam can come out very salty. Our favorite is this one.
- Sesame oil: To add a little humph!
- Honey: we love using sugar to balance out the saltiness, but you can use your preferred sweetener.
Fried rice
- Green onion: it will add extra flavor to your dish.
- Chinese celery: we love this veggie because it adds a crunch and is also very juicy. Every bite becomes so balanced! Alternatively, you can use onions will give the same type of juiciness!
- Steamed white rice: you can also swap from brown rice for a healthier version.
- Eggs: use good quality ones!
- Sugar: to balance out the flavor in the dish.
- Canola oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Marinate the spam. Combine 4 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp of sesame oil, and honey in a bowl with a flat, wide bottom. Cut the spam into two slices laterally and lay flat in the bowl. Let marinate for 5 minutes on each side.
- Cook the spam. Add 1 tbsp of canola oil onto a cooking pan and heat over medium high heat. Cook the two marinated spam slices for 2 minutes on each side, or until charred. Remove from heat and let cool. Cut the spam into bite-size cubes and set aside.
- To make the eggs, heat 1 tbsp of canola oil onto a cooking pan or a wok over medium high heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until well combined. Pour the egg onto the wok and let cook for about 30 seconds without stirring. Once the egg starts to be cooked, stir using a spatula for another 30 seconds to 1 minute and lightly break the eggs into smaller pieces. Once the egg is fully cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
- To make the fried rice, heat 1 tbsp of canola oil onto a cooking pan or a wok over medium high heat. Add the chopped Chinese celery and stir fry for 30 seconds, then add the chopped green onions. Stir fry for another 30 seconds. Add the steamed white rice and stir gently, while breaking lumps of rice. Add the egg, 4 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp of sesame oil, and sugar and mix well until the rice is uniformly covered with the soy sauce, about 3-5 minutes. Add the spam cubes and mix well. Remove rice from heat and serve in a bowl.
Spam Fried Rice
Ingredients
Spam Marinade
- 4 oz spam
- 8 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp honey
Fried rice
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1 cup Chinese celery chopped
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 3 cups steamed white rice
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To marinate the spam, combine 4 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp of sesame oil, and honey in a bowl with a flat, wide bottom. Cut the spam into two slices laterally and lay flat in the bowl. Let marinate for 5 minutes on each side.
- Add 1 tbsp of canola oil onto a cooking pan and heat over medium high heat. Cook the two marinated spam slices for 2 minutes on each side, or until charred. Remove from heat and let cool. Cut the spam into bite-size cubes and set aside.
- To make the eggs, heat 1 tbsp of canola oil onto a cooking pan or a wok over medium high heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until well combined. Pour the egg onto the wok and let cook for about 30 seconds without stirring. Once the egg starts to be cooked, stir using a spatula for another 30 seconds to 1 minute and lightly break the eggs into smaller pieces. Once the egg is fully cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
- To make the fried rice, heat 1 tbsp of canola oil onto a cooking pan or a wok over medium high heat. Add the chopped Chinese celery and stir fry for 30 seconds, then add the chopped green onions. Stir fry for another 30 seconds. Add the steamed white rice and stir gently, while breaking lumps of rice. Add the egg, 4 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp of sesame oil, and sugar and mix well until the rice is uniformly covered with the soy sauce, about 3-5 minutes. Add the spam cubes and mix well. Remove rice from heat and serve in a bowl.
Nutrition
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