When I went to school in Singapore, we had cafeterias that served a wide diversity of food, from Chinese soup noodles to Indian Prata. I remembered trying my first piece of SPAM from the Chinese stall in elementary school, and let me tell you, it was no ordinary SPAM. Glazed with sweet soy sauce, it perfectly balanced the salty meat.
In an attempt to make a quick lunch last week, I was hit with nostalgia and decided to make a sandwich version of my school cafeteria food. Try this recipe if you ever find yourself with a can of SPAM that you don’t know what to do with. Who knows? You might find yourself buying another can during the next grocery run!
That is NOT Sriracha: Let me Introduce You To Indonesian Sambal (chili sauce)
You are right. That is not a bottle of Sriracha in the ingredients photo. Growing up Indonesian, Sambal ABC is our go-to chili sauce, and Indonesians eat almost everything with it. Sambal ABC is just one of the many brands that produce bottled Indonesian Sambal, but it’s the brand most commonly found in Asian grocery stores across the US.
Sriracha and Sambal ABC might look similar, but they originate from different countries and taste slightly different. Originating from Thailand and Indonesia, respectively. Sriracha is spicy, salty and sour, whereas Sambal ABC is spicy, salty and sweet. Most Indonesians enjoy a sweeter flavor profile, and our sauces tend to lean toward savory-sweet. Give the sauce a try if you ever feel like trying something different from Sriracha, and let me know what you think in the comments section.
What is Thai Sweet Chili Sauce?
I am not from Thailand, but growing up in Southeast Asia, it was easy for us to buy this sauce from any mainstream grocery store. It’s also served with spring rolls and fried meats in Thai and Vietnamese restaurants.
The main ingredients are vinegar, dried chili, sugar and garlic. Despite being labeled as a “chili sauce,” it’s not spicy at all. The sweet-garlicky taste is pretty addictive and pairs well with McDonald’s Nuggets. In fact, it tastes VERY SIMILAR to the BTS limited edition Mcdonald’s nugget sauce that was released in 2021. Don’t believe me? Go get one and relive your best ARMY moment now.
Sunnyside-Up but Make it Crispy
Texture is everything when it comes to making a delicious meal! I love the creamy soft, smooth texture of a regular sunnyside-up egg, but I also love the crispy caramelized bits that form on the bottom when it’s left on the pan to crisp up a little more.
Crack an egg on the pan over medium heat, then lower heat to medium-low. Leave it on the pan for 4-5 minutes without flipping over. Low and slow will produce a crispy texture without burning the bottom. You’ll know it’s ready to be removed from the pan when the sides of the egg become dark brown (refer to the photo above).
SPAM is Not Healthy, But it Tastes so Good
If you’ve been reading from the beginning of this post, you’ll know my spam origin story. My mom was always adamant about spam being unhealthy and would NEVER let me have any. She’s not wrong.
Spam was first produced towards the end of the Great Depression and meant to fill the need for inexpensive meat products. However, families were hesitant to eat meat that didn’t require refrigeration. Well, one man’s meat is another man’s poison because the US Military quickly picked it up. Spam was an efficient and filling meal for the World War II troops, and quickly led to its spread across the world.
After spamming you with SPAM facts, I would say have it in moderation. It’s definitely not the most nutritious food out there, but let the lettuce and tomatoes in this recipe do their job of being the health heroes of your meal.
This Looks Too Complicated for an Easy Meal
Everything in this recipe is optional except for the actual sweet soy-glazed spam. Do the spicy mayo, and fried egg add to this recipe’s deliciousness factor? Sure, it does! But does that mean you need to have it to make a complete meal? Definitely not!
I’m a firm believer in tweaking ANY recipe to suit your needs, and this recipe is not an exception. Have the glazed SPAM with rice or noodles, or if you want to be really CRAZY, have it on its own. Which I must confess, I’ve done so a couple of times, but nobody really needs to know that!
Mix mayonnaise and Sriracha in a small bowl, and set aside.
Fry eggs sunny side up over medium-low heat on the pan for 3-5 minutes, or until dark brown and crisp on the bottom.
Mix soy sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, water in a small bowl, and set aside.
Slice spam into 8- ¼ inch pieces and pan fry in vegetable oil over medium heat. Fry both sides for 2-3 minutes each, or until golden brown and crisp. Remove fried spam and use paper towels to wipe excess oil from the pan.
Add spam back to the pan and pour sweet soy sauce over it. Simmer over medium-low heat for 2-3minutes, flipping multiple times.
When the sauce is reduced by a third, remove the pan from heat and let it cool for 2-3 minutes before assembling the sandwich.
Slice tomatoes and cut lettuce into sandwich sizes.
Toast 2 sliced bread for each person.
Place spam on top of one slice of bread, and then stack sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and fried eggs on top of it (in that order). Spread spicy mayo and leftover sweet soy sauce over the other slice of bread, and cover the sandwich.
Serve with a side of salad or fries. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Mix mayonnaise and Sriracha in a small bowl, and set aside.
Fry eggs sunny side up over medium-low heat on the pan for 3-5 minutes, or until dark brown and crisp on the bottom.
Mix soy sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, water in a small bowl, and set aside.
Slice spam into 8- ¼ inch pieces and pan fry in vegetable oil over medium heat. Fry both sides for 2-3 minutes each, or until golden brown and crisp. Remove fried spam and use paper towels to wipe excess oil from the pan.
Add spam back to the pan and pour sweet soy sauce over it. Simmer over medium-low heat for 2-3minutes, flipping multiple times.
When the sauce is reduced by a third, remove the pan from heat and let it cool for 2-3 minutes before assembling the sandwich.
Slice tomatoes and cut lettuce into sandwich sizes.
Toast 2 sliced bread for each person.
Place spam on top of one slice of bread, and then stack sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and fried eggs on top of it (in that order). Spread spicy mayo and leftover sweet soy sauce over the other slice of bread, and cover the sandwich.
Serve with a side of salad or fries. Enjoy!
No Comments