3 amazing SPAM dishes we're making for Lunar New Year

Over the past year, our collective appreciation for cooking at home has inspired us to test the waters with new recipes and surprise ourselves with often Instagram-worthy results.

Now, with Lunar New Year approaching on Friday, February 12, there’s another opportunity to channel your inner professional chef. Although this year’s celebrations may look a little different, you can get creative and satisfy your appetite with easy-to-make Chinese dishes.

We’ve decided to maximize the potential of one key ingredient in the snacks we’re making for Lunar New Year: SPAM (the acronym for “Sizzle. Pork. And. MMM.”). It happens to be a popular Lunar New Year gift, too, so it doubles on impact.

Cooking with SPAM is simple, delicious, and even more versatile than you think, which is why we’re infusing it in three fan favourite dishes.

SPAM Dumplings

SPAM Dumplings

Dumplings are among the tastiest morsels imaginable, and they’re surprisingly straightforward to make. That’s what inspired us to bookmark this 20-minute recipe ahead of Lunar New Year. With SPAM Lite as the main ingredient, coupled with onion, cabbage, and egg carefully placed in dumpling skins, only goodness can ensue.

If this will be your first time cooking with SPAM, it’s a pretty big deal. To give you some context, SPAM products are sold in 44 countries around the world, and there are 12.8 cans of the products eaten every second. There’s even a museum dedicated to SPAM in Austin, Minneapolis.

Discovering why it’s such a big hit involves incorporating it into a recipe. So why not start with dumplings this Lunar New Year? Get all the directions you need here.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of SPAM Lite, chopped
• 1/4 tsp of ginger, grated
• 1/2 tsp of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup of onion, minced
• 1 cup of cabbage, chopped
• 1 piece of egg
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch
• 1 tsp of sesame oil
• Gyoza sauce
• Water, for cooking the dumplings
• Cooking oil
• Dumpling skins

SPAM Egg Rolls

SPAM Egg Rolls

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, egg rolls made using SPAM with Real HORMEL Bacon are worth your time. Combined with spicy habañero pepper jelly, sweet and sour sauce, and coleslaw, served alongside a memorable dipping sauce, this Lunar New Year treat takes just one hour in total to make.

Pro tip: All SPAM products are 100% pure pork and ham and are fully-cooked, so you can enjoy them as they are or cook them up! The ingredients below yield 12 moreish servings, and you can find the no-nonsense instructions for how to put them all together here.

Ingredients: 

• 1 (12-oz) can of SPAM with Real HORMEL Bacon, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of habañero pepper jelly or another spicy jelly, divided
• 1 cup of vegetable oil, divided
• 4 tbsp of soy sauce, divided
• 4 tbsp of sweet and sour sauce, divided
• 6 tbsp of sugar, divided
• 4 cups of shredded coleslaw blend
• 12 egg roll wrappers
• 1/4 cup of fresh pineapple puree

SPAM Fried Rice

SPAM Fried Rice

We’re always down to try anything that will make our lives easier in the kitchen, especially in the run-up to special occasions. SPAM Fried Rice fits the bill because it takes literally 20 minutes to make, starring SPAM Lite, eggs, crunchy carrots, onions, red bell pepper, soy sauce, and more. And it packs enough for four servings of hearty comfort food.

This recipe features SPAM Lite, which contains 20% less fat, but you could substitute it for SPAM Classic if you already have that in your pantry. Since all SPAM flavours, including the OG Regular, now have less sodium, you get the same great taste with less salt. Follow the cooking method for this mouth-watering dish here.

Ingredients:

• 1 12-oz can of SPAM Lite, diced
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, divided
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup of diced carrots
• 1/4 cup of chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup of frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup of chopped red bell pepper
• 2 cups of cooked rice
• 3 tbsp of House of Tsang soy sauce

The aforementioned dishes scratch the surface of what you can create using SPAM this Lunar New Year and beyond. To find even more delicious recipes and other ways to enjoy SPAM, visit SpamCanada.com.