This Spam and Egg Over Rice (Dupbap) is great to eat any time of day. It has the perfect balance of flavors and textures of:
- Salty pork
- Sweet spam glaze
- Crunchy nori
- Creamy mayo and egg yolk
- Spicy sriracha
Dupbap (sometimes spelled “Deopbap”) means “covered rice” in Korean. It refers to a simple meal consisting of a bowl of rice topped with a protein, like bulgogi, kalbi, or in this case, spam.
Spam, egg, and rice is also a typical breakfast in Hawaii. It was offered as a value meal option at the McDonald’s in Oahu when we visited, and of course I had to get it!
I like to describe this spam dupbap as a deconstructed spam musubi, which is another delectable spam food item you’ll find in Hawaii. It’s essentially a spam and rice sandwich held together with nori. The spam is basted and cooked with a sweetened soy sauce. It’s the perfect portable snack or meal to eat in the car, at the beach, etc. You can find them sold everywhere in Hawaii, including convenience stores and gas stations. I made my own version at home which you can find here.
Unlike spam musubi which can require some skilled assembly and special tools, this spam dupbap is a simple one-dish meal.
What is Spam?
Spam is a brand of canned salty pork, and it pairs great with cooked rice, egg, kimchi, and nori. Spam is the name of the brand, but the meat is also known as luncheon meat.
I always have Spam stocked in my pantry. Spam is available at Costco in 25% less sodium, 12 oz can, 8 count packs. It makes for an easy go-to meal or snack, and since it’s canned it has a very long shelf life (Although I probably go through them all before even nearing the expiration date).
Spam is fully cooked and ready to eat, but I always slice it up and cook on the stovetop or air fryer until the sides are golden brown. You can also cook or heat up your Spam in the oven or microwave.
Alternative ways to enjoy dupbap:
- Scramble the eggs instead of frying
- Add kimchi for a tangy element
- Slice the spam lengthwise into large rectangular pieces rather than cubes
- Sprinkle Furikaki seasoning over the rice instead of just crumbled roasted nori for a more complex flavor
What kind of rice should I use for dupbap?
Japanese short grain rice provides a great texture for dupbap (but of course you any rice can work too). You can cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop.
I use Kokuho Rose short grain rice and Kirkland organic quinoa from Costco. My rice to quinoa ratio is 3 cups rice to ½ cup quinoa!
How do I make sriracha mayo?
I like to use a 1:1 mayo to sriracha ratio but you can adjust the ratio according to your preferred level of spice! For example, 2 tbsp mayo and 1 tbsp sriracha will yield a milder sauce.
Spam and Egg Over Rice (Dupbap)
Ingredients
- 4 tsp oil
- 1/2 can Spam chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups cooked Japanese short grain rice
- 8 sheets roasted nori crumbled for topping
- 2 tbsp sriracha mayo
- 1/2 green onion stalk thinly sliced (just the green part)
FOR THE SPAM SAUCE
- 1 tbsp Kikkoman USA soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
FOR THE SRIRACHA MAYO
- 1 tbsp Japanese kewpie mayo (you can use regular mayo)
- 1 tbsp sriracha
Instructions
- Cook your rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop.
- Add the ingredients for the spam sauce into a small bowl and set aside. Prepare the sriracha mayo in a separate bowl or in a squeeze bottle and set that aside as well.
- Add oil to a medium pan and fry eggs sunny side up, until the whites are cooked and yolk is still runny. Place cooked eggs on a plate and set aside.
- Add a drizzle of oil to the same pan and cook your spam under medium low heat until each spam cube is golden on all sides (about 5 minutes).
- Add spam sauce to the pan and continue to mix until the spam is evenly coated and the sauce has thickened (about 2-3 minutes). Turn off the heat and set aside.
- To assemble your bowl, add about 1.5 cups of rice to a bowl and use your hands to crumble 4 small sheets of nori over it. Top with cooked spam and egg, then drizzle with sriracha mayo.
- Garnish with chopped green onion slices before serving.
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