My maternal grandma will be 93 next month. Though now she is not the vibrant, energetic grandma I had growing up, she made a great impact in my life in many ways.
In my post MOUNTAINS of Clothes…Tackling the First KonMari Category, I shared about one life lesson I learned from my grandma.
While reading and recording my read aloud of the local Hawaii picture book, The Musubi Man by Randi Takayama, I couldn’t help but think of my grandma and the musubi, Japanese rice balls, she would make for the family. She made the BEST musubi ever!
My grandma’s parents came to Hawaii from Japan to work in the sugar plantation. She used to be embarrassed that she had musubi in her lunch box and wished she had a sandwich like the other kids. About 50 years later I was in school wishing I had a musubi for lunch instead of a sandwich!
Now a favorite Hawaii style home lunch of kids is often a spam musubi. A spam musubi is not round at all but rectangle like the shape of a slice of spam. A delicious combination of the Japanese Hawaiian American culture all mixed together.
I thought it would be fun to share what my grandma taught me and created a video on how to make the best musubi, Japanese rice balls, Hawaii style.
Interesting fact: In Hawaii, we call Japanese rice balls, musubi, but in modern Japan they call it onigiri.
Ingredients
- Hot sticky Japanese rice
- Nori (sheets of dried seaweed)
- Umeboshi (pickled plum)
- Rice vinegar
- salt
Instructions:
- Stir up the hot rice and let it cool down
- Cut the nori into squares
- Split the umeboshi into at least half size
- Pour some rice vinegar in a little bowl.
- Rub a small rice bowl with vinegar and salt.
- Fill the small rice bowl half full of rice.
- Add a little umeboshi to the middle.
- Put more rice on top.
- Shake the bowl till the rice forms a ball.
- Generously rub vinegar and salt on palms of hands.
- Put the rice ball into hands and squeeze to form a triangle.
- Put nori on the rice, pasting it down with the rice vinegar.
That’s it! It’s not hard at all. My grandma’s little tips make all the difference! Our favorite way to enjoy musubi is with fried spam and baby carrots and you’ve got a simple meal! Yum! Maybe we will have this for dinner tonight! Heehee.
After recording my video, I then had the privilege of teaching my oldest daughter how to make musubis the way her great grandma taught me.
Please take a picture and tag #PulamaReading when you make musubi, Hawaii style or get creative to make a musubi man or girl. Or share a tradition you do as a family! Enjoy!
What a fun thing to make with kids!
I just taught my 15 yr old and she seemed to have enjoyed it. I wasn’t ready for the mess with my younger ones. Lol.
I have a little one living with me right now that would probably love to try these and give us something to do.
For the little ones my grandma would make it without the umeboshi inside. You can actually put other things in the middle like a tuna mix.
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I pinned it for use later!
I’m excited for you to try it! 😊
Wow! I have never heard of this. It looks amazing and you make it look easy!
Lol it’s not too hard and I don’t do it often. Lol but I do enjoy eating Musubi. 😊
This looks delicious and like fun to make. So sweet that this is a tradition with your grandma. I actually am intrigued by the one with Spam! Thanks for sharing this.
Yes, we all think of grandma and musubi. ❤️ There are lots of tutorials on Spam musubi on YouTube. I’m Hawaii they sell them at 7-11 and markets. They are so good. Lol. If you teriyaki the Spam it’s even better! 😁
Interesting! Wow! That’s great that your grandma is still in your life at 93!
I’m sad to say I haven’t seen her in a while. She’s in a care home and it’s hard visiting with 7 kids. Now with covid19 we aren’t allowed to visit at all. I’m so grateful for all the memories I have of her. ❤️
Yum! This is something my kids would enjoy making!
Yes kids love eating this! Not all like the ume so grandma would make some with no umeboshi inside. 😊
I honestly didn’t know Japanese rice balls existed. Thank you for this recipe. I’d love to give it a try.
Oh! Rice balls are a HUGE part of the Japanese culture. 😊 I hope you do give it a try. 😊
Looks delicious!
Heehee. It is delicious!
This sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for reading and commenting. 😊
Perfect timing! I have been searching for new recipes during these days of sheltering at home. Recipe printed.
I’m so glad. Hope you all enjoy it! 😊
Good for you to keep a traditional type food interesting to your family!
Thanks.
Looks like fun to make.
Definitely fun for those who love to be in the kitchen. 😉
How cool! Great photos and video! I’ve actually never tried Spam, but I plan to whenever I can actually make it to Hawaii.
Thank you! Yes you have to try a spam musubi when you come to Hawaii!
This sounds so tasty!
Thinking about it makes me hungry. Lol
That sounds yummy! I think I would like spam more than raw fish!
Spam tip…never eat it straight from the can. Always at least fry it first. I only started appreciating raw fish as an adult. It is definitely an acquired taste and texture. Lol
I want to try this! Thanks for sharing.
I’m excited you want to try it. Thank you!
Isn’t it amazing how we want the flavors from our childhood, usually we don’t realize what we have at the time 🙂 Thanks for sharing a bit of your history of this food as well.
You are absolutely right! So many wonderful memories come with the tastes of my childhood!
Oh my goodness I am so glad to have found this! I just bought spam a couple of days ago (kids thought I was nuts) just to make this. I will get to the other store that has rice and nori today, then we are so making it. I have wanted to try it for ages but never have -until now! Thanks!
Making spam musubi is a little different but there are TONS of online tutorials! I love to teriyaki the spam and fry it before using it in my musubi 😊 so yummy!!!
We saw the spam version of these when we were in Maui! My husband would love these. (He’s half Filipino.) I will have to give them a try 😁
My children are a quarter Filipino from their dad! I would love to know if he enjoyed it!
Looks good! Craving one now xD
Lol me too!
They look very tasty.
I sure enjoy eating them. Heehee
This is awesome! Thank you for sharing. I may just have to try these.
I hope you do and please let me know how it goes. 😊
What an interesting and yummy thing to make. I will have to try this!
Please share when you do! 😊
You have one amazing grandma! I I’ve never head of musubi before and I’m definitely making this at home. I love the fact that the recipe is simple. Can’t wait to try this.
Yes my grandma is very special to me. She’s not the same anymore with dementia setting in but my memories are very vivid. ❤️ Please share when you do make them! 😊
I have got to try these! I have more time now like everyone else!
I hope you do! Please share when you do. 😊 They are perfect food for picnics! 😊
I like spam and those look pretty good. My grandson would love helping
Have fun!
Have never heard of this, thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad I shared cause growing up with musubi, I didn’t think that someone wouldn’t know it at all. Thanks for reading! 😊
This is so special with the familia connection <3 Your video also adds another great element to your article.
Thank you! ❤️
These look good, but I have never been able to get past the seaweed sheets. Is there a better wrapper option?
This is the traditional way…I guess you could use…hmmm what is edible, flat, and pliable? Fruit roll up? Heehee.
Nah honestly you do not need the nori, seaweed. The rice will not fall apart if you squeeze it firmly. Sometimes she didn’t have any nori so the were just plain rice balls. We just like the nori on it better. Delicious! 😉 so try it without the nori!
I love the combination of the cultures in these! I have never tried spam but maybe on day!
When you finally try spam, don’t eat it straight from the can. At least fry it a little first. 😉
Like!! I blog quite often and I genuinely thank you for your information. The article has truly peaked my interest.
Thank you! I’d love to hear if you tried making musubi a!