Rice Cube

Recently I purchased a new kitchen tool; one that I had never seen before. That may be because it isn’t for sale in the US and won’t be until this coming December, according to the inventor. I heard about it from one of the blogs in Europe that I follow and so did a search for the item on the Internet. I did find one on eBay but discovered that if you order directly from the manufacturer in Australia that it is less expensive because they don’t charge shipping. What I’m going on about is called the Rice Cube and it can be found at: www.ricecube.net.
“Rice Cube can make sushi from plain rice cutting down calories and preparation time. You can even make sushi without the nori seaweed… Rice Cube also works with polenta, cheese, meat, potato, falafel, butter, dumplings, lentils, brownies and biscuit bases, fudge, dates & apricots… and so much more. Perfect for cute entrees, stylish mains and quick desserts.”
The first thing I had to make after receiving mine was a “California Cube.” I used sushi rice, avocado, cucumber and imitation crab - all from Van’s IGA here in Forsyth. The directions for the cube says to use a rice cooker but if you don’t have one - go buy one! (I saw a nice one at Clark Hardware here in Forsyth and I’m sure Hysham Hardware has them as well.) You can use a regular saucepan and cook it on top of the stove but after I bought my rice cooker I wouldn’t go back to cooking it on the stove.
In a correspondence with the inventor of the Rice Cube, he said, “Rice Cube is only being released into the US this Christmas so it’s totally unknown… a lot of fun and a big hit with mums and kids, one of the best selling products in Europe at the moment which is nice. I keep winning awards which is amazing and never imagined it would take off like this but sushi and rice is the way forward for healthy eating. Happy cubing with the family! Kind regards, Ross Patten.”
You can also go to YouTube and watch videos on people using the cube.
I made the following this last weekend and will definitely make it again as it was just as good as the “California Cube”, which is one of my favorite ways to make sushi.

Spam Musubi

“Spam Musubi is a very popular Hawaiian snack that is just like sushi. Marinated sliced luncheon meat is quickly pan seared then placed on top of rice and wrapped in nori (dried seaweed.)”
2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
2 cups water
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (12 ounce) container Spam
5 sheets sushi nori - (dry seaweed)
soy wrappers - pink and green (optional)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Soak uncooked rice for 4 hours; drain and rinse.
In a saucepan bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in rice vinegar, and set aside to cool. (I use my rice cooker and use 3 cups (the one that came with the cooker) and fill water to the “3” mark. DO NOT add the vinegar to the cooker if it is metal. Put the rice in a wood bowl, or other non-reactive container and then add the vinegar.
In a separate bowl, stir together soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Slice luncheon meat lengthwise into 10 slices, or to desired thickness, (I sliced it into about 20 slices as I didn’t want the spam to dominate the flavor) and marinate in sauce for 5 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook slices for 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Cut nori sheets in half and lay on a flat work surface. Place a rice press in the center of the sheet, and press rice tightly inside. Top with a slice of luncheon meat, and remove press. Wrap nori around rice, sealing edges with a small amount of water. (Rice may also be formed by hand in the shape of the meat slices, 1 inch thick.) Musubi may be served warm or chilled.
I used my Rice Cube and cut the spam in small pieces, after I fried it, and then put it in the middle of the rice and wrapped it with strips of nori. I also used strips of soy wrappers and that was also very good - some pink and some green!!!
To some of the cubes I added pieces of craisins and cream cheese with the spam which added a totally different flavor. I used the leftover marinate (soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar) as  dipping sauce. (Don’t use a lot as it is pretty strong.)
I had left-over spam so I froze it placing pieces of parchment in between each piece of spam so I can pull out just a couple pieces when I want to make a quick batch.
In the past I sealed the left-over sushi rice with the Food Saver and that does not work as it smashes the rice down and you end up with one hard block of rice that doesn’t break apart very well. This time I spooned it into a zip-lock bag and froze it and when I thawed it out it had a better texture. It isn’t as good as when it is fresh, but it works. You might even try putting it in the microwave for a few seconds, after it thaws, to soften it up so it holds together in the cuber better.
Notes: According to the book: “The Japanese Kitchen” by Kiroko Shimbo “Prepared sushi rice should be stored at cool room temperature, covered with a moist cotton cloth. Never refrigerate sushi rice, or it will become unpleasantly firm in texture.”
Get the kids involved and you might even get them to eat something new - or something they wouldn’t try before. Print this post