The Square (more like Rectangular) Root of Musubi
- Leilani
- Aug 22, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 2, 2023
The most ubiquitous and utilitarian tool found in all Honolulu grocery stores is strangely not found anywhere else. It has the retro vibe of a bar of white soap, while also looking like a prop from a sci-fi movie. Yes! You guessed it, the acrylic rectangular musubi mold. Ok, it was in the title. But this kitchen tool has been prolific since at least my high school years where it was used with Taylorism-like precision for a science club fundraiser. At $1.50 a pop, we sold out, of course we did.
Ever popular at fundraisers and local family outings, musubi gained popularity in Hawaii around the mid 20th century for its convenience and portability. The origin, although not well documented, has clear lineage to Japanese onigiri and sushi. The first large wave of Japanese immigrants began arriving in Hawaii to work on sugar cane plantations in the late 19th century, bringing with them the centuries old tradition of onigiri. Believed to have developed in Japan over a thousand years ago during the Heian period (794-1185), onigiri are hand pressed rice balls filled with picked vegetables or fish. Imagine Japan during this period, with the rise of the samurai class, along with the move of the capital from Nara to Kyoto, and the extension of imperial domains, onigiri became popular among travelers, warriors, and workers because it didn’t need any special utensils to eat. Samurais could have a sword in one hand and a musubi in the other.
Assembling a traditional SPAM musubi is a very simple process, so simple I feel a little dumber for even explaining it. A sheet of nori, the width of the mold is measured, cut, and laid out on a flat surface. The mold is placed on top of flat sheet of nori. The mold is then filled with a layer of plain, unseasoned white rice. A slice of spam is cooked in a mixture of sugar and soy sauce until heated through and colored. The sauteed SPAM is placed in the mold over the rice, and either another layer of rice is added, or not.
The assembly is compressed with another acrylic rectangle and pushed through while lifting up on the mold. The seaweed is then wrapped around the rice and spam like a towel is wrapped around a child emerging from the ocean. A line of water at the edge of the nori secures the assembly from coming apart and running back into the ocean. Wait that’s the child, not the musubi.
Today, musubi has become so popular, there are retail shops dedicated to the myriad versions of musubi that are being invented. At Musubi Café Iyasumi on Oahu, there are versions such as the breakfast fixings of avocado/bacon/egg/spam, or a Korean-style take using kimchi and spam. At Higoto Japanese Eatery, also on Oahu, they make one with cheeseburger, sans bun.
There are versions elsewhere that contain garlic fried chicken or shrimp tempura, the ideas for fillings are endless. It seems any combinations of ingredients can be turned into a musubi if the fillings harmonize with rice and seaweed.
Molds, as well, have also grown in their variations. At Don Quijote, a large Japanese retailer on Oahu sells numerous iterations for onigiri and musubi making, along with the classic shape. And for children, who are naturally suspicious of all new foods, there are tools they sell to cut nori into cute, winking animal faces. Cause animal faces are more delicious and less suspicious, that’s why.
The adage, simple is best still holds true for musubi construction; much like the veritable grilled cheese sandwich, musubi has only a few moving parts and key flavors making it a great introduction for the new or inexperienced chef. In other words, let your 8-year-old make them for her own lunch box while you sleep in. Or hide a vegetable for your four-year-old, or surprise your surf buddies with breakfast musubi, but consider all the ways you can adjust the fillings and push the envelope of this beloved snack. And dear musubi, we’ll see how you’ve changed, and how you haven’t, in another thousand years.
Where to get musubi:
Musubi Café Iyasume on Oahu
Higoto Japanese Eatery on Oahu
Earl's on the Big Island
Little Village Small Cafe on the Big Island
Shiono Ya (in the KTA) on the Big Island
Where to get musubi making supplies:
Don Quijote on Oahu
KTA on the Big Island
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