Happy Friday! This week’s recipe is a savory one as I’m getting ready for a Hawaiian adventure! I’m so excited to share Mickey Musubi, which is a Hawaiian dish reminiscent of Japanese onigiri. Served at Disney’s Aulani Resort, these adorable Mickey shaped rice balls are topped with fried teriyaki spam and wrapped with a band of seaweed!
At Aulani, Mickey (and Minnie!) shaped musbui are a favorite snack. So in anticipation of my upcoming trip, I knew I wanted to give Mickey Musubi a try. However, having never been to Hawaii before, I was a little unsure where to start. Researching musubi, I discovered they are similar to Japanese onigiri, which I really like making (and eating). Both onigiri and musubi have the same base of sushi rice, they just have different fillings. With onigiri, the filling is typically pieces of fish (like salted salmon or tuna salad) or ground pork. But with musubi, it’s usually a piece of fried spam. Though the Minnie version at Aulani is topped with cooked egg!
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Knowing that, I started with by making a batch of sushi rice. This type of rice is used to make sushi rolls, onigiri, and musbui. You’ll want to use “sushi rice” or “short grain rice.” I cooked the rice by rinsing it under cold water and then using my rice cooker on the white rice setting. I used 2 cups of uncooked sushi rice and 2 cups water. If you don’t have a rice cooker, you can also do this on the stove.
Once the rice is cooked (and still hot), transfer it to a large bowl. I used a large heat-safe glass bowl. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave for about 30 seconds then pour it over the rice. Use a rice paddle or rubber spatula to stir the mixture into the rice so that the rice is fully covered. Let the rice cool to room temperature.
Next, prepare the spam. First, cut the spam length-wise into 6 slices. Then cut each slice in half. Combine the soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl. Heat a medium size frying pan over medium heat. Add some vegetable oil and then cook the spam pieces until browned on both sides. Pour in the glaze and cook until all the glaze has thickened and all of the spam pieces are coated.
Now that all of the components are ready, it’s time to assemble the musubi! First, place the Mickey shaped cookie cutter on a flat surface. I used a piece of wax paper on a cutting board. For the cookie cutter, I used a Mickey shaped biscuit cutter from the Disney Store. It’s not currently available, but there are great alternatives on Amazon.
Use wet hands (so the rice doesn’t stick to you) to press a layer of rice into the cookie cutter. Aim for about 1/2 inch thick. Once the rice is shaped, gently remove the cookie cutter and place a piece of spam onto the “face” part of the Mickey shape. Wrap a strip of seaweed around the spam and rice to hold it together. Finally, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of the ears.
Enjoy these Mickey Musubi!
If you’re looking for more recipes from Aulani, be sure to check out my Macadamia Nut Pancakes and POG Juice! Aloha!
Mickey Musubi
A Hawaiian favorite, these Mickey Musubi are topped with fried teriyaki spam and wrapped with seaweed!
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 6 cups cooked sushi or short grain rice, still hot
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Mickey Musubi
- 1 can spam
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 sheets nori seaweed sheets, cut into 1-inch wide strips
- sesame seeds, for garnish
Equipment
- Mickey Mouse shaped cookie cutter
Instructions
Sushi Rice
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Place the rice in a large bowl.
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Combine the rice vinegar, granulated sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.
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Add the vinegar mixture to the rice and stir until the rice is fully coated. Let cool to room temperature.
Mickey Musubi
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Cut the spam length-wise into six portions. Cut each portion in half.
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Combine the soy sauce and the brown sugar in a small bowl, stirring to combine.
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Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. Once hot, place the spam in the pan and cook until browned on both sides.
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Add the soy sauce glaze. Cook until the glaze is thick and fully covers each piece of spam, about 5 minutes.
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Place the Mickey Mouse cookie cutter on a flat work surface, like a cutting board or piece of wax paper lined counter.
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Use wet hands to press a layer of sushi rice into the cookie cutter. Aim for ½ inch thick. Once shaped, gently remove the cookie cutter. Repeat until all of the rice has been used.
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Place a piece of spam on the face part of each of the Mickey Mouse shapes.
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Take a strip of seaweed and wrap it around the spam and the rice.
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Sprinkle some sesame seeds onto each of Mickey’s ears.
Recipe Notes
adapted from Alton Brown and @may.kawaiikitchen