Three Great Snacks for 6 Under $15

When I think of three meals that are a staple in the Hawaii cultural I cannot help but think of Spam Musubi, Shoyu Hot-Dog and Pickle Mangos. Just the thought of these dishes can make a persons mouth water.

I understand that some people have never heard of Musubi and may not even like spam but it is very good to know about and or try especially if you have children and are operating on a budget like I am.

Spam Musubi

For those who have never seen a Spam Musubi or do not know what one looks like, basically it looks like a Burrito made of seaweed, white rice and Spam.

Generally, they are made in the length and width of the spam slice, but some people choose to get creative and there is no real rule of law absolutely defining how you are supposed to make this dish.

Well, I take that back, basic rules that I stick by when making my Spam Musubi are keep it simple, tasty and cheap. Otherwise it is okay to be as creative as you want to when making them.

Basic Spam Musubi

Although Spam Musubi can be used as a lunch or dinner meal supplement for many, if your children are hearty eaters they may require more than. At the moment, my two oldest children can eat two while my younger children are full with just one.

You may begin the process of making your Musubi begins once you have cooked your rice and let it cool down to at least room temperature. Once you have let your rice cool down, you will need a dish of water and a flat surface like a cutting board or something of that nature.

Next, lay your seaweed on the flat surface, then add your rice proportionately across the middle of the seaweed in a neat pile. If you are able to purchase a Musubi maker before hand it may help a great deal. I was quite surprised at how cheap the Musubi maker I found online was.

After you have shaped your rice, you will need to lay your Musubi on top of the shaped rice then dip your finger tips in the dish of water you have set aside and gingerly touch your seaweed at the crease point so that the seaweed bends without tearing.

At this point in the Musubi making process you must roll the rice and spam into the shape of what I can only describe as a burrito and there you have it, your first Spam Musubi.

There are a lot of flavors of spam so you could be very creative with your recipe, especially if any of your children are picky eaters like mine. When I am able to afford it I add Furikaki seasoning to the rice. This breaks the monotony of the basic recipe and goes over real well with my children.

Depending upon where you are geographically located, some 7-Eleven stores may also make a variety of Musubi flavors available to you. If you have not stopped at a 7-Eleven for a while, it may be worth your time to see if they have some of the flavors pictured above. I am sure that pricing is subject to change by location as well.

Either way this simple to make dish is it’s well worth your time if you’re looking for a quick economically feasible snack or meal supplement with a can of spam, seaweed wraps and a few cups of white rice.

Shoyu Hot Dog

Shoyu is a bit less hands on to make then Musubi but it is truly an amazing children’s mid day snack or meal after returning home from a day at the beach, school, baseball practice or soccer practice. If you are okay with the sodium Shoyu Hot-Dog is a perfect break or lunch snack to add a little variety to your work meal routine. If you have never tried it here is the recipe that works best for me:

1.) 2 cups Shoyu Sauce (any brand will do but I like Kikoman)

2.) 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3.) 1 Tablespook Sesame Oil or Olive Oil (optional)

For me, there is no real memory of the first time that I tried Shoyu Hotdog. I can only remember always just sort of being exposed to this dish at the local market, Japanese deli or Manapua trucks when visiting Hawaii as a child.

and then there is a fancy complicated answer key takeaways way to make you adding very seasonings to the rice and preparing the spam frying it or seasoning it now running it is very sausage this is a complicated weight fixed time and result is amazing

basically whatever you like to add with rice whether it’s full cut can you be vegetables show you whatever it is like to add to it we can add to your wife and combine it with your spam wrap it up and ready for amazing family feud

Show you hotdog Shoyu hotdog this is another steeple of the Hawaii community in particular if you’re looking for because your style food swear it’s not that you can combine with something that is easy to make meet in the market so you oil very good

When I prepare my show you hotdog I like to let marinate in the sauce for a lease in a good two hours this helps saturated me with flavor and makes for an amazing snack is a standalone or as a sweetheart almost via the flavors complement each other so dramatically

It is my understanding that this dish was initially created at a time when the Japanese concentration camps were implemented and they were looking for innovative ways to add flavor to the existing American dishes

where ever this idea initially came from it is absolutely fantastic and my children I love to eat it soon as I make it there already it is the type of dish where they stand near the stove waiting for the cooler just enough so that they can take the first bite 

Pickled Mango 

Pickled Mango is my children’s least favorite and most favorite form of eating green mango. I say this because they don’t like the fact that once they eat one piece they cannot help but eat another and another and another.

When I was a child and we used to pick mangoes on the way home from school or the local park and we would cut them up and put Shoyu sauce in a bowl and soak them in the Shoyu sauce just enough to add the flavor and then, as I got older, I looked for other ideas as I experience pickled mango dishes from my neighbors families. These dishes including vinegar, brown sugar, Shoyu sauce, sugar

All of these unique powerful flavors combined with green mango equated into an extremely balanced flavor that to some may be an acquired taste but to me it is really good and I can’t help but recommend it.

I have pickled mango in the refrigerator right now, here is the jar and it has been sitting marinating for just over 24 hours. The vinegar soaks one into the fibers of the green mango and the flavors making it taste phenomenal.

If you have never tried the recipe, it is really simple and basic to make requiring only green mango, vinegar, brown sugar and a hint of a pinch of ginger. Boil the vinegar, mix it all together and bring the vinegar to a boil. Once at a complete boil, let it simmer and then add the mangoes and marinate overnight (preferredly) before eating it.

If you have never tried any of these dishes you may not realize what you are missing out on, so give it a go even if you are not in Hawaii you can make these dishes just about anywhere. Well anywhere that there is green mangoes at least.

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