Spam Fried Rice

Step 1

Cut 1 (12-ounce) piece Spam in half. Using the flat part of a chef’s knife, lightly smash half of the spam into paste-like, irregular, craggy pieces. Cut the remaining Spam into 1/4-inch cubes. Thinly slice 5 medium scallions, keeping the white and light green parts separate from the dark green parts.

Step 2

Place the smashed Spam and 4 cups cold cooked rice in a large bowl or rimmed baking sheet. Run your hands through to loosen the grains and break up any clumps while incorporating the Spam. Place 2 large eggs and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl, and whisk with a fork until broken up and no streaks of egg white remain. Place 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar in a small bowl.

Step 3

Heat a large wok or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and the cubed Spam, and stir-fry until the Spam is golden-brown, about 3 minutes. Add the scallion white and light green parts, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Step 4

Add the rice and Spam mixture and stir-fry until combined. Spread into an even layer and let cook undisturbed until starting brown on the bottom and lightly char in spots, 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 5

Scrape in the oyster sauce mixture and stir-fry until combined, about 1 minute. Push the rice mixture to one side (if there isn’t much room in the pan, remove some of the rice mixture). Drizzle the open space with the remaining 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and add the eggs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until almost set, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir the eggs into the rest of the rice mixture (return the rice if you took some out), breaking it up into small pieces as you go.

Step 6

Remove the pan from the heat. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, sprinkle with the dark green scallion parts, and add a few grinds of black pepper. Toss to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed.