The easy-to-make spam, eggs, and rice is a Hawaiian-inspired breakfast that is filling and delicious. A quick and easy recipe made with pantry ingredients.
I made Fried Rice with Spam and Eggs a few weeks ago. My kids loved it so much that I thought about making something with spam, eggs, and rice again—this time, an easy breakfast that’s very popular in some parts of Hawaii.
Try more recipes with eggs: Dill Pickle Egg Salad or Asparagus with Eggs.
Ingredients: 10
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
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What is spam?
Also known as luncheon meat, spam is a mixture of meat and cereal sold in tins. The most common meat used to make spam is pork, but turkey and chicken spam are also available. It can be served cold in sandwiches, or it can be fried.
Luncheon meat is sold worldwide, but it is super popular in Hawaii and Korea. Although it’s not a traditional food in these countries, it became popular during World War II and the Korean War, when canned meat was served to American soldiers stationed there.
Is spam healthy?
Not particularly. It’s a highly processed food; it contains many preservatives, it is high in fat, sodium, and calories, and it lacks essential nutrients. However, it does taste good and comforting; it’s cheap and has a long shelf-life.
The dose makes it, I suppose. I don’t recommend eating it regularly, but from time to time, it’s delicious.
Recipe ingredients
- Spam: I used a whole can of pork spam, weighing 12 oz (350 g). Turkey or chicken luncheon meat can be used instead.
- Eggs: Two eggs per person, so eight large eggs to make this spam, rice and egg recipe.
- Rice: You will need about ⅓ to ½ cup (60 to 100 g) of rice per person, depending on who’s eating. As we are two adults and two kids, I find 1 ½ cups (300 g) sufficient.
- White rice is the norm, but you can choose brown rice. Just remember that brown rice needs longer to cook.
- Try Ketchup Fried Rice or Tuna Fried Rice next!
- Seasoning: Soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, garlic powder.
How to make spam, eggs and rice?
- Cook rice: Wash the rice in a sieve. Bring water to a boil, add some salt and the rice, and simmer the grains according to the sort you are using and the package instructions.
- Marinate spam: Cut the luncheon meat into cubes. Mix soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and garlic powder in a bowl. Add meat cubes and stir to coat all over. Leave to marinate for 5 to 10 minutes (1).
- Eggs: In the meantime, beat the egg, milk, salt, and pepper in another bowl (2).
- Cook meat: Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan. Lift meat from the marinade using a slotted spoon. Don’t discard the marinade! Fry the meat on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, often stirring, until the cubes are slightly crispy (3,4).
- Caramelize: Pour in the reserved marinade (5) and stir the pieces for another 2 minutes or until they are glossy and coated with the sauce (6).
- Cook eggs: You will need another pan for cooking the eggs; the one you used before will be too sticky to use again without washing.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pan. Turn down the heat to medium-low and add the beaten eggs. Leave them untouched for 15-20 seconds or until lightly set at the bottom (7).
- Use a spatula to move the mixture around the pan and cook the eggs evenly into large folds (8).
- Move around gently for another 2 minutes or so until the eggs are mostly set (9). They will continue cooking slightly after you’ve turned off the heat.
How to serve?
- Spam, egg, and rice are best served immediately. Serve with ketchup or hot sauce.
- They are great for breakfast and will probably keep you full until dinner. But the dish is just as great for lunch or dinner. Make Cottage Cheese with Honey or Brioche French Toast Casserole for breakfast instead.
Tip
The traditional Hawaiian way of serving spam with eggs and rice is to cut the spam into slices. You can cube the meat (like I did) or serve two slices per person.
Recipe FAQs
Scrambled eggs are traditional for Hawaiian spam, eggs, and rice, but you can fry, poach, or boil the eggs instead. Anything you like!
Heat the oil in a large pan. Cook the marinated slices for about 2 minutes per side. Pour the reserved sauce on top and cook the meat on low heat for another minute or so, flipping so that the sauce thickens and coats the slices.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for about 2 days.
Reheat in the pan. I usually fry the rice in a bit of butter or oil first, then I add the spam pieces and egg leftovers (cut into smaller pieces) and stir until they are all hot. You can add some hot sauce to the pan while reheating.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Spam Eggs and Rice
Equipment
- 2 Frying pans
- Medium pot
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup white rice
- 1 can spam 12 oz/ 350 g
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 8 eggs large
- 4 tablespoons full-fat milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- fine sea salt or Kosher
Instructions
- Cook rice: Wash the rice in a sieve. Bring water to a boil, add some salt and the rice and simmer the rice according to the sort you are using and the package instructions (Note 1).
- Marinate spam: Mix soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and garlic powder in a bowl. Cut the spam into cubes, add them to the bowl, and stir to coat all over. Leave to marinate for 5 to 10 minutes (Note 2).
- Cook meat: Heat the vegetable oil in a pan. Lift the meat from the marinade using a slotted spoon. Don’t discard the marinade! Fry meat on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, often stirring, until the cubes are slightly crispy.
- Caramelize spam: Pour the reserved marinade into the pan and stir the spam for another 2 minutes or until the cubes are glossy and coated with the sauce.
- Pan: You will need another pan for cooking the eggs; the one you used before will be too sticky to use again without washing.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in another bowl.
- Cook eggs: Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pan. Turn down the heat to medium-low and add the beaten eggs. Leave untouched for 15-20 seconds or until lightly set at the bottom. Use a spatula to move the mixture around the pan and cook the eggs evenly into large folds. Move around gently for another 2 minutes or so until the eggs are mostly set. They will continue cooking slightly after you’ve turned off the heat.
- Serve: Arrange the ingredients on a large warm plate and serve immediately.
Notes
- If using brown rice, remember that this sort needs a much longer cooking time, between 30 and 40 minutes (check the package instructions).
- If cutting the spam into slices, marinate them in a shallow bowl where they fit properly.
Alyssa says
I make this all the time and it always hits the spot!
Adina says
I am so glad to hear it, Alyssa; we love it too.