Cook the sushi rice, or if you don’t have any, you can use regular rice with a 1:1.5 water-to-rice ratio. That's what we used for this recipe. In case you have sushi rice, reduce the water ratio to 1:1.25. For every can of Spam, you'll need to cook 2 cups of dry rice. Use an Instant Pot or rice cooker to make your sushi rice. Adjust the water ratio accordingly.
Slice the Spam meat loaf into eight equal slices. Do not discard the can; we'll use it as the musubi mold. Wash it to remove any remaining oil inside.
Cut the nori sheets into 1-inch thick strips and set them aside for assembly.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (204°C).
While the air fryer is preheating, prepare the musubi glaze. Combine low-sodium soy sauce, honey, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
Next, place the sliced Spam in the preheated air fryer, making sure they are nicely spaced out. Brush the musubi sauce on each slice and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Flip the Spam slices, brush it again with musubi sauce, and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the glaze caramelizes. Be careful not to overcook them, as the sugar in the musubi glaze can easily burn. We’re looking for a deep golden brown finish.
While air frying, you can prepare the sushi rice. Take the cooked rice and transfer it into a large bowl. Add the sushi seasoning and mix for 2-3 minutes. After air frying the glazed spam, you should be ready to assemble.
Put together the Spam musubi. First, get the Spam can and cut a piece of cling wrap. Place the cling wrap on top of the can, then add the air-fried glazed Spam on top and push it down the can. Next, scoop ½ cup of cooked sushi rice and layer it on top of the Spam. Apply pressure to flatten the rice, then take the cling wrap out along with the contents. Continue molding by hand, then remove the cling wrap. Finally, wrap it with the seaweed strip and seal it nice and tight by dabbing the ends with cold tap water.
Serve and enjoy your labor of love: Hawaiian Spam Musubi Air Fryer Edition!