The last typhoon and the series of blackouts that happened afterwards sent us rummaging through the pantry for quick, easy-to-cook food. Our hunger-busting savior? Good 'ol SPAM.
SPAM has been in the business of busting hunger for 77 years already. Introduced to the market in 1937, SPAM became handy during the World War. Soldiers deployed to Pacific subsisted on the canned meat, which could keep fresh and safe to eat for years sans refrigeration. Pacific islanders from where most of the war happened, the Philippines, Guam, and Hawaii, got hold of the cans, and somehow fell in love with them. Those three places are now arguably the most obsessed with SPAM.
The brand has become a food cult post war– so popular that the name transcended industries. In 1970, Monty Phyton did a sketch about a restaurant where all dishes are cooked with SPAM. The scene features a husband and wife looking for something without SPAM, and a pesky waitress who continues to enumerate the dishes anyway. To annoy them further, the Vikings in the next table sang "spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!" everytime the waitress mentioned spam. The geeks picked up the brand name and used it to describe the ubiquitous and unavoidable junk e-mail people loathe.
SPAM can be eaten plain and cold straight out of the can but unless you are in the middle of some war-torn desert, don't do that. Common practice is to slice the block horizontally, and fry ‘em ‘til browned. In the Philippines, SPAM is considered an adopted member of the –silog family, usually served during breakfast with fried eggs and garlic rice.
Made especially for the Philippines
True SPAMaholics, however, know that there’s more to SPAM than just serving it in its plain –silog style. The next time you’re cooking it, take cue from these restaurants’ creative recipes and upgrade your meal from plain SPAM to so yum!
1. Caramelized SPAM
Prior to SPAM Tocino’s 2014 limited edition launch (only in da Pilipins!), sweet-toothed SPAM lovers have devised a simple way to sweeten up the salty meat slice. Chef Ed Bugia likes his SPAM sweet so in Π Breakfast and Pies, Teachers Village, Quezon City, he shared his favorite way of eating SPAM to the public by including Caramelized SPAM® (P245) among the resto’s breakfast specials.
Caramelized SPAM by Π Breakfast and Pies
A serving of Caramelized SPAM Breakfast Special in Π has garlic fried rice topped with a dollop of their kimchi, sprinkled with sesame seeds. Hidden in its center is a party of egg with pesto and spring onions. Atop all these are the sweetened fried SPAM cubes, which perfectly contrast the sour-spicy kimchi.
Do it yourself: Slice SPAM into cubes. Mix soy and sugar in a bowl. Fry the cubes evenly for a minute. Pour the soy–sugar mix over the SPAM. Flip and repeat until all sides absorb the caramelized sauce. Set aside. On a bowl, mix garlic rice, a tablespoon-full of store brought kimchi and pesto paste, spring onions, and fried egg(s)—ala bibimbap-style. Add the SPAM cubes on top.
2. SPAM Musubi
Despite its obviously Japanese last name, SPAM Musubi is actually a product of Hawaii. This handy snack, a sushi version of SPAM, makes a great tummy-filler and quick bite in-between tasks.
SPAM Musubi
Image: SPAM website
There have been several attempts to put up stores that exclusively sell musubis but only SPAM Jam in Megamall managed to stay afloat in the quick bite market. A Musubi in SPAM Jam is sold for around P50, not a bad price to pay for a filling merienda. SPAM Musubi is also part of Genji M Resturant's unlimited sushi buffet.
Do it yourself: Gather all the ingredients: one slice of SPAM, about one cup of cooked white rice (Japanese short grain holds together better than other variants), one tablespoon soy sauce, one teaspoon sugar, and 2-inch wide strip of nori.
On a frying pan, cook SPAM slice evenly until brown. Pour the soy–sugar mix over the SPAM. Flip and repeat until all sides absorb the caramelized sauce. Set aside. Remove the lids and contents of the SPAM can. Wash it thoroughly. Let the can stand on a clean chopping board. Press half of the cooked white rice into the can. Top with the caramelized slice of SPAM. Press the remaining rice. Carefully push out the musubi from the can. Wrap with nori sheet.
3. SPAM Pasta
SPAM Pasta is easy to make and relatively inexpensive, too. For inspiration, take cue from Milky and Sunny, an all-day breakfast restaurant in Kapitolyo Pasig that sells Bacon and Spam Pasta for P180. A dish has a good serving of al dente penne, topped with minced bacon and cubed SPAM, coated with a rich serving of cream with cheese sauce. 2nd's Restaurant in BGC also included SPAM pasta in their selection. Their Baked Spaghetti and SPAM (P295) is cooked with tomato cream cheese sauce.
Image: SPAM website
Do it yourself: For this recipe, you may use whatever pasta you can find in your pantry. Boil it as instructed in the packaging. Slice your SPAM into cubes and fry them. If available, you may throw in some minced bacon too. Set aside. In a saucepan, melt two tablespoons of butter. Stir in two tablespoons of flour. Add in one cup of milk or cream. Simmer it for five minutes. Add grated cheese, salt, and pepper to taste. Top your cooked pasta with the creamy sauce. Pour in the fried bacon and SPAM bits.
4. SPAM Fries
Why settle with good ol' potato fries when you can go further the sin meter with SPAM Fries?
SPAM Fries
Image: Yumsugar
Thinly-sliced, sometimes beer-battered, deep-fried SPAM was first seen in New York and Singapore restaurants. We love SPAM but not really enough to make us splurge on plane tickets to those destinations. Thankfully, Liberty New York Steakhouse located at UP Town Center in Quezon City has included Spam Fries (P260) in its menu. Their SPAM, coated in tempura batter, is served with cumin ketchup, whiskey mustard and kimchi mayo.
Do it yourself: Cut the SPAM block into sticks that are about the size of your regular fries. Deep-fry them for 6 minutes or until they turn stiff. Remove excess oil with paper towels. Serve with ketchup, mayo, or mustard.
5. SPAM Breakfast Ramen
Wrong Ramen in the Fort claims to have the most calories per bowl in the whole country. Its brave, tradition-defying owners throw in things such as bacon, eggs and SPAM, among others, into bowls of broth and noodles. Their most famous concoction is their F.U. Ramen (P425), which has bacon, eggs, cheese and pepper SPAM, mixed into a bowl of Hakata noodles. It's not the most authentic, healthiest, or the most photogenic ramen in the metro, but it sure is one of the tastiest.
F.U. Ramen
Image: Wrong Ramen Facebook
DIY: We're not going to teach you an impossibly long recipe of authentic Japanese ramen. Since this is a sort of a guide for preparing SPAM during blackouts and midnight cravings, we're going to tell you to cook whatever instant noodle you have in your pantry (better if it's spicy ramen, the kind you get in the international section of the grocery). Throw in some fried bacon, SPAM, and egg into the bowl and enjoy your breakfast in liquid form.
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There you have it: some quick recipes that you can replicate on the next blackout. Do you have your own creative way of preparing SPAM? Share your recipes with us in the comments section below.
